Trump losing support with anti-migrant remarks: Analyst

Press TV has conducted an interview with Andre Vltchek, a philosopher, journalist and filmmaker, to discuss the recent controversial comments made by US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump about migrants and refugees.

Here is a rough transcription of the interview:

Press TV: Let’s start off with your thoughts on the recent comments made by presidential hopeful Donald Trump in Iowa.

Vltchek: Well Donald Trump is making incredible mistakes. This is the moment when many Americans and many people all over the world are very concerned about the track record of Hillary Clinton. They are concerned and afraid that would she be elected, there could be a new chain of confrontations, even wars with countries like China, Russia or Iran and so some people are pinning hopes on Donald Trump, thinking that in his moments of sanity he would actually not want to confront countries that were already mentioned – Russia, China, Iran and others.

But the comments that he is making these days particularly about the immigration are very much in the line of old-fashioned populism, right-wing populism, almost fascism. It is “America for Americans” but we have heard already similar statements during the Second World War, “Germany for Germans”, “Italy for Italians” but who would pay the bill?

I mean the imperialism, exploitation of the world will never end if Trump is going to be elected but the immigrants who would be deported, just think who these immigrants are. This 11 million immigrants that he is talking about, many of them come from Latin America, countries that are being destabilized by the American foreign policy. Look at Honduras, look at Paraguay, now the constitutional coup against the Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, all this is bringing right-wing dictatorships and right-wing governments and this is going to send in turn millions of immigrants to the United States and elsewhere.

So the way to really stop and tackle the immigration problem is to stop the imperialism particularly in Latin America and Trump is not talking about this. Trump is only talking about the draconian measures that are going to target people who are already in the United States. Well if he is going to deport all the immigrants, first of all it is going to ruin the US economy and he knows it. The sixth largest economy in the world - California – would California be an independent country, it would be the sixth largest economy in the world, is going to be totally devastated and wiped out if he is going to deport all illegal immigrants and he is still playing this very low, very damaging game actually instead of concentrating on the real problems that the United States is facing, United States and the rest of the world.  

Press TV: Another thing that is evident is that these anti-immigrant and borderline chauvinistic comments made by Trump seem to be less appealing to the voters now than when he was back on the campaign trail fighting for the GOP’s presidential ticket?

Vltchek: Absolutely, you are absolutely correct because what is now happening, he is losing support among the people, even among the Democrats who would otherwise vote for him. For example Sanders, many people from the Sanders’ camp would be voting for him but they will never support him with this racist and absolutely bigoted rhetoric. So he is, so to speak, shooting himself in the foot. It is totally disqualifying him actually from winning the elections.

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