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As Trump Prepares to Make Case for a Wall, Americans Have Already Decided to Reject His Xenophobia

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New Gallup poll, showing strong and growing opposition to wall and 81% support for citizenship, latest reminder that the more Trump talks the more people oppose him

Amidst long blocs of executive time, President Trump is preparing for tomorrow night’s State of the Union address and undoubtedly planning to keep a focus on his border wall obsession. But as Trump prepares to make another case to the American people, the public has already decided to reject his xenophobia.

As we highlighted in-depth last week, voters now trust Democrats more than Trump and Republicans on border security issues, per several polls. And during the Trump presidency, Americans have in fact become more pro-immigrant by a number of measures.  

A new Gallup poll adds further evidence to the mix, finding strong and growing opposition to the border wall, with intensity much stronger on the side of wall opponents. The Gallup poll also finds that an overwhelming majority of Americans – 81 percent – support citizenship for undocumented immigrants. Among the key findings in the new Gallup poll:

  • By a 60-39 percent margin, Americans oppose construction of a border wall.
    • Intensity is stronger among wall opponents, with 39 percent saying they “strongly oppose” the wall vs. 26 percent who “strongly favor” its construction
    • Opposition to the wall has grown since Gallup last asked this question in June 2018, when opposition to wall was 57-41 percent (34-24 percent breakdown on the “strongly” finding).
  • By an 81-18 percent margin, Americans support citizenship for the undocumented population, worded in the poll as, “allowing immigrants living in the U.S. illegally the chance to become U.S. citizens if they meet certain requirements over a period of time.”

According to Pili Tobar, Deputy Director of America’s Voice, “It seems the more Trump speaks, the more people oppose his anti-immigrant views and needless wall. In poll after poll, a strong majority of the public is growing more pro-immigrant and more hostile to Trump’s fear-mongering and lies. Shockingly, it appears that staking your presidency on a racist rally chant and memory device may not be smart politics after all.”

So what does this mean for the future of the border wall and the related congressional debate? Gallup’s poll summary assesses: “Most of the cards at this point seem to be in the hands of the Democratic negotiators, fresh off their victory over Trump on the government shutdown faceoff. The public is solidly against the expansion of the border walls and remains sympathetic toward immigrants in the country illegally. Both of these views seem to match previous Democratic proposals at a time when Republicans are unable to agree on how to handle immigration. Therefore, it is not hard to envision an outcome that will please far more Democrats than Republicans.”