Immigration: Obama vs. Trump

It was evident when I was watching Time's video collage of Donald trump interviews, that they really dislike him. It was an example of his blatant ignorance. He seems to care about himself, and only himself. But I have to wonder. What in the video sparked such high emotions for me?

The langue used by each side of the argument largely sways the audience. It is like if someone was to say, "Let's eat grandma!" or "Let's eat, grandma!" These statements have completely different meanings and tells the listeners two completely stories. Cannibalism or family bonding?

To compare the issue of immigration within the US, I looked at the perspectives of Donald Trump and Obama. They both disagree with the issue of immigration reform and the words they use greatly influence the message the audience hears.

Trump uses the terminology: slob, drunk drivers, drugs, crime, and filthy to describe Mexicans who immigrate to the US. By using these words he is sending the message that we should not let immigrants in because they will only disrupt our peace. He uses words that stand out to people and make them think about them longer than they should. Also known as euphemism, they warp the perception of the audience through persuasion.

By using language like this, Trump appeals to people who are against letting immigrants and refugees into the US. They are an example of racial profiling and are used to predict situations that might happen as a result of these races. By categorizing people in to specific acts, Trump shows his ignorance to real world issues.

Obama uses words such as welcome, youthful, dynamic, and entrepreneurial to describe his case for immigration reforms. He explains that our immigration system is in fact broken. The people that play by the rules are at a great disadvantage to those who skip over them. He suggests the we secure our system by securing to prevent cheating while Trump suggests we close the boarders completely.

Obama appeals to audiences who look for new ideas and opportunity through people who immigrate here. He uses different ethnic backgrounds as an advantage because they bring new ideas. By conveying his argument in a polite manner, he discourages people to use racial profiling as a mechanism to act out.

 In August, after Trump expressed outward hated to our boarder control laws, a homeless man was attacked with a metal pipe and then urinated on because, "Donald Trump was right, all these illegals need to be reported." By using such vulgar words to describe immigrants, Trump has encouraged his followers to react with violence. His word have such negative connotations, they spark feelings of hatred and brutality.


In reality, everyone that lives in America migrated here from one place or another. Trump's fantasy of a wall between Mexico and the US is an example of his stupidity. Our nation is comprised of people from all over the world. This is unique and taking this aspect away is striping us our our identity. It is true, we must revise our current immigration standings. People who follow the rules are greatly disadvantaged over those who cheat their way through the system, but this does not mean we should build a brick wall between us and every other country.