President Donald Trump’s most hardcore supporters are really angry that he might have reached a deal to protect young immigrants from deportation.
The deal would come with tighter border security and protections for DACA recipients — but no funding for the wall. It is, based on the latest news reports, still in the works.
This has been perceived by some of Trump’s supporters as a betrayal — because Trump repeatedly said on the campaign trail that he’d be “tough” on immigration, build a wall, and deport, not protect, undocumented immigrants.
Ultra-conservative outlet Breitbart labeled Trump “Amnesty Don” after news of the deal. Ann Coulter, an anti-immigrant conservative who’s supported Trump, suggested impeachment.
At this point, who DOESN'T want Trump impeached? https://t.co/g1mMhmm8ng
— Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) September 14, 2017
But perhaps the most telling reaction has come from r/The_Donald. This subreddit is meant for Trump’s most hardcore fans, and it often deletes any negative comments about Trump. Yet on Thursday morning, it was clear that a lot of Trump fans weren’t happy with news of the deal.
As of Thursday morning, one of the most upvoted comments on r/The_Donald in one of the big threads about the looming deal directly insulted Trump:
Bullfuckingshit. No fucking DACA amnesty. Period. Even Hillary gave you an out with her comments about Dreamers. Don't be a fucking retard, Mr. President. Look at what amnesty did to California. That state will forever be lost to Democrats.
The most upvoted (but later deleted) reply to that comment echoed the sentiment:
This is the first time I'm really going against a proposal of his. Trump, what the fuck are you thinking??? This will end up becoming another Reagan scenario! DON'T GIVE AMNESTY TO THE DACA RECIPIENTS!!! I didn't vote you into the White House for this!
Spez: For those who want to call me a concern troll, I've been a supporter since Summer of 2015. I have the right to hold the man accountable. Fuck off.
In another thread that’s been up since Wednesday night, by far the most upvoted post, criticized the idea of the deal:
NO DACA
NO AMNESTY
BUILD THE WALL
We can't compromise on any of this. Country is finished if we do.
One post characterized the deal as a betrayal that could permanently ruin the chances of a wall at the US-Mexico border:
No amnesty for the so called "dreamers" was a key part of Trump's platform. This is firmly in his hands right now. He can refuse to sign any legislation that would grant amnesty and then it would truly be in the hands of congress to override. If the reports coming from the Democratic establishment are true then Trump is turning on his platform promise. I'm deeply concerned as well if these reports are accurate that Trump did not push for funding to the wall as part of such an agreement. Funding for the wall as a compromise to a one time amnesty deal would have been acceptable compromise. If Trump caves into amnesty now with no wall funding secure then we will never see funding for the wall.
Another called for action:
We need to make ourselves heard. This is getting worrisome and I am on the MAGA bandwagon for a long ass time now. This dealing with the Democrats is really worrisome. There can just be NO DACA deal without the Wall.
Should not be possible. That is just a strict NO. We need our voice to be heard and some how reach some of the MAGA people in the WH.
Others were concerned that a path to legalization would make Democrats stronger in elections, presumably because immigrants tend to skew Democrat in the voting booth: “If they cave on DACA the Dems will rule this country forever.”
Yet some called for caution, arguing that people should have faith in Trump. “I want Trump to say exactly what the deal is. Trust no one else,” one person posted. Another wrote:
Trump isn't a fool. He never was. He has no history of being weak. He isn't going to be weak now and he isn't being weak. But he knows more than you and I. He isn't stupid. He never was stupid. My IQ according to the Stanford-Binet was the latter 140's, and I can tell you (painfully as far as my ego goes) that Trump is a lot smarter than me. So rest assured he easily eclipses well over 99% of the world according to the bell curve.
So one of two things is happening.
Either:
A). Things aren't as they seem and he's being a genius. He's painting a bigger picture, and has a bigger plan; a strategy that his current actions set up.
B). He knows more than you do/is smarter than you. He is doing what he is doing for the good of things you don't know about.
Either is quite likely.
Generally, though, the vibe is unusually negative toward Trump for r/The_Donald. I check the subreddit regularly, particularly after major news events, and I have never seen it like this before. It’s gotten to the point where a lot of people on the subreddit said that there must be “concern trolls” invading these threads. (One person claimed, “Why the fuck have there been so many concern trolls on every single post in the last months? Nobody has answered this for me... This sub has been compromised by a bunch of whiny pussies.”)
It would make sense, though, that this is what leads r/The_Donald and other Trump supporters to turn on the president. If Trump defined his campaign on anything, it’s that he would be tough on illegal immigration. For him to turn around and potentially agree to a deal that protects unauthorized immigrants seems like a huge backstab for much of his base.