Exit Polls: Donald Trump Did Not Win the Election Because of Immigration

by Josh Guckert

Following the election of Donald Trump, many are scrambling to decipher what tipped the scale in the Republican nominee’s favor. One issue which can be easily picked is his support of a border wall and staunch stance against immigration. However, exit polls reveal that this is not the case.

As shown by the poll questions above, Trump overwhelmingly won with those fearful of new immigration. Of those who believe that undocumented workers in the U.S. should be deported, he won 84%. Among those in support of his (in)famous “Trump Wall,” he won 86%.

However, more noteworthy is that 70% of the country is in favor of granting legal status to undocumented workers, while 54% oppose the wall. Though it is somewhat striking that 34% and 17% of those groups respectively cast ballots for Trump in spite of this, those issues were clearly not the impetus leading toward the eventual conclusion of the election.

Just as most libertarians know, a coherent and succinct immigration system which allows entry and exit without complication is one of the keys to a free society. Though fear-mongers like the incoming President have attempted to malign immigrants, they by and large immigrate just to make better lives for themselves and their families. Additionally, they bring numerous benefits with them to their new home country.

If one positive can be taken from the result of this election, it is that voters did not get scared into voting due to unfounded fear of immigrants.