Political analyst Bill Schneider said on Tuesday that any deal to reopen the government involving “amnesty” to immigrants from President Trump would translate as betrayal to his conservative base.
“If he’s contemplating amnesty for a bigger deal, it means betrayal,” Schneider told Hill.TV’s Joe Concha on “What America’s Thinking.”
“He said something very odd the other day. He said this is not amnesty. I’m going to save amnesty for a bigger deal,” he continued.
Various conservatives, including author and commentator Ann Coulter, slammed a proposal from Trump on Thursday that would have provided three years of legislative relief for about 700,000 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program recipients in exchange for funding for a steel barrier at the border.
“Trump proposes amnesty. We voted for Trump and got Jeb!” Coulter tweeted.
Trump proposes amnesty. We voted for Trump and got Jeb!
— Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) January 19, 2019
The president later defended his proposal on Sunday, saying amnesty was not apart of the current offer, but would be used for a “much bigger deal.”
No, Amnesty is not a part of my offer. It is a 3 year extension of DACA. Amnesty will be used only on a much bigger deal, whether on immigration or something else. Likewise there will be no big push to remove the 11,000,000 plus people who are here illegally-but be careful Nancy!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2019
— Julia Manchester
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