Trump’s Patronizing Immigration Policy: Build A #BigBeautifulDoor

Donald Trump went a little rogue during last night's GOP debate. Despite the fact that the presidential hopeful said he'd stay above the belt and on high road earlier in the week, his whole debate performance pretty much refuted those high-minded intentions. While it made for great entertainment, his answers were not what we'd call good, or insightful, politics. Even when he did discuss actual federal government issues, he still maintained a maddeningly mocking attitude. For example: When moderator Chris Wallace asked the mogul to address the offensive comments he made about Mexicans earlier this month and cite evidence that the country is sending its criminals over the border and into the United States, Trump said the solution was to build a wall. Directing his comments at candidate Bush, he added: "It has to be built quickly. And I don't mind having a big beautiful door in that wall so that people can come into this country legally. But we need, Jeb, to build a wall. We need to keep illegals out." Trump's swagger — or, what might be more plainly called arrogance — might be an asset when it comes to convincing voters that his business background makes him a fit leader for America. But it's not strengthening his stance on actual political issues, like immigration. #BigBeautifulDoor quickly became a meme, and not in a good way: Twitter quickly filled up with hilarious queries about what Trump's big beautiful door would look like. Would it be gold-plated? Would it be six inches high? Would it lead into a Trump luxury tower? Whatever design elements Trump's door in the border wall might take on, one thing is for certain: It may be a metaphor, but it's a pretty patronizing one. Immigration reform is a highly complex issue that goes way deeper than meme-able platitudes. People die trying to get into America. Children get separated from their parents. It is a tragic situation from every angle. Boiling it down to a #BigBeautifulDoor is a denigration of those facts. That certainly wasn't Trump's only smug statement on the subject. "If it weren’t for me," he said, "you wouldn’t even be talking about illegal immigration, Chris...This wasn’t a subject that was on anybody’s mind until I brought it up at my announcement." Surely, not even The Donald is so pompous that he truly believes that.