Thread: Donald Trump: Mitt Romney's Immigration Policy Was 'Maniacal'

Donald Trump: Mitt Romney's Immigration Policy Was 'Maniacal'

The Huffington Post By Nick Wing
Posted: 11/26/2012 3:14 pm EST Updated: 11/26/2012 3:24 pm EST

Real estate mogul Donald Trump recently reflected on former GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney's loss, telling Newsmax that the candidate failed to resonate among certain demographics in part because of his "maniacal" immigration policy.

"He had a crazy policy of self-deportation, which was maniacal," Trump said. "It sounded as bad as it was, and he lost all of the Latino vote ... He lost the Asian vote. He lost everybody who is inspired to come into this country."

Romney first unveiled the "self-deportation" idea in a debate in January, explaining that he supported strict standards on employment that he claimed would force undocumented immigrants to return to their home countries.

Trump accused Democrats of not having anything meaningful to offer in the field of immigration policy, but said that the party benefited from at least appearing to have the interests of immigrants in mind.

"The Democrats didn’t have a policy for dealing with illegal immigrants," Trump told Newsmax. "But what they did have going for them is they weren't mean-spirited about it."

Republicans have been quick to admit failures in outreach in the wake of an election that showed Latino support for President Barack Obama above 70 percent. Just days after Romney's loss, top party officials were publicly rethinking their tune on immigration reform, suggesting that a comprehensive plan would be a priority.

But Trump was actually ahead of the curve in this field of thought. Over the summer, he explained his reservations about a hardline immigration policy popular among some Republicans.

"For people that have been here for years that have been hard-workers, have good jobs, they're supporting their family -- it's very, very tough to just say, 'By the way, 22 years, you have to leave. Get out,'" he said during an appearance on Fox News. "I'm one of the world's very conservative people, but I have to tell you on a human basis, how do you throw somebody out that's lived in this country for 20 years."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/26/donald-trump-mitt-romney-immigration_n_2193252.html?utm_hp_ref=politics