Ann Coulter, the inflammatory conservative pundit and Trump supporter, told Politico‘s Glenn Thrush during the Off Message podcast that she was wary of the candidate going soft on immigration, buckling under pressure from what she described as the “amnesty” crowd now taking up residence in his campaign.
Coulter told Thrush that she blames Kellyanne Conway, Trump’s new campaign manager, for his recent shift. She has been one of Trump’s most enthusiastic fans, particularly lauding his staunch stance on immigration. She once referred to Trump’s proposed ban on all Muslims from entering the country as her “best birthday gift ever.”
She even admitted that Trump struck her as a “boorish vulgarian”… until she heard him talk about immigration.
At a town hall aired on Aug. 24 hosted by Trump supporter and Fox host Sean Hannity, Trump surveyed the crowd to ask how they felt about giving amnesty to the people who are here illegally, but are “upstanding” or “great.” (Trump assured Hannity that he was not proposing “amnesty.”)
During the GOP primary, Trump had fiercely criticized his Republican opponents for supporting this sort of policy and vowed that he would deport 11 million people, frequently citing Operation Wetback, a deportation initiative that occurred under President Eisenhower.
Coulter has expressed her dismay at Trump’s softening shift on immigration, calling it a “mistake,” though she also criticized the media for overstating her disappointment.
“I worship him like the North Koreans worship the ‘Dear Leader’ — yes, I would die for him,” Coulter told Thrush. (Half-jokingly, he said.)
You can listen to the interview above.
—
Sam Reisman (@thericeman) is a staff editor at Mediaite.
