Trump, Democrats on an immigration collision course

In the aftermath of President Trump’s first State of the Union address, both parties are on a collision course with each believing the recently passed tax law and the next immigration showdown can be a political winner for them.

“An entire row of Democrats refused to stand for the family of two girls murdered by the vicious MS-13 gang,” said Erin Montgomery, communications director for America First Policies, a pro-Trump organization. “They listlessly sat on their hands or disrespectfully checked their phones as our president acknowledged God, our flag, our military, historically low unemployment for minorities, a booming economy, and a tax cut that allows Americans to keep more of their hard-earned money.”

“Only their need to protect a broken and dangerous immigration system seemed to elicit any sort of emotional response — and that right there is all we need to know about the Democratic Party’s values,” Montgomery continued. “It’s astonishing, sickening really.”

Democrats also described themselvesas astonished and sickened, panning Trump’s speech as divisive and “frustrating.” Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., who called Trump an “outwardly, explicitly racist American president,” offered only the most backhanded praise: “Whoever translated it for him from Russian did a good job.”

The dueling assessments of Trump’s speech are part of a larger messaging war over the tax legislation Republicans have already enacted and the immigration fight that is still ongoing, all ahead of this year’s midterm elections with GOP majorities in Congress on the line.