After Trump secured the necessary 270 electoral votes early Wednesday, Democrats began to shift blame and question where the Harris-Walz campaign went wrong. Speaking on Morning Joe, Former MSNBC host Chris Matthews argued that Democrats’ permissive stance on immigration played a major role in Harris’ defeat.
Matthews commented, saying, “Immigration has been a terrible decision for Democrats. I don’t know who they think they were playing to when they let millions of people come cruising through the border at their own will because of their own decisions. They came running through the border and they didn’t do a thing about it.
“And a lot of people are very angry about that, working people especially. They feel that they’ve been betrayed, they feel that their country has been given away, and they don’t like it.”
Immigration emerged as a central issue for voters in this election cycle, with many Americans voicing concerns over the impacts of the Biden-Harris administration’s open border policies. Issues cited included an increase in opioid-related crises, safety concerns, and economic pressures affecting communities nationwide.
Matthews continued in his comments, saying, “And I don’t know who liked it. The Hispanics apparently didn’t like it, they want the law enforced. And so I’m not sure they were playing to anything smart here in terms of an open border and that’s what it is, an open border. And I think it’s a bad decision. I hope they learn from it.”
In their first year, the Biden-Harris administration issued 296 executive actions on immigration, with 89 aimed directly at reversing or dismantling Trump-era immigration policies. Key Trump initiatives on border security were also rolled back, including the halt of border wall construction and the termination of the Remain in Mexico program.
Post-election, lawmakers and Democrats alike are learning that voting Americans were not ready for the progressive ideologies and policy positions that were attached to a Harris-Walz ticket.
