Neo-Nativism and Global Frienemies: Feelings Toward Immigration and National Security Issues

Abstract

This chapter examines the campaign rhetoric and tactics employed by both campaigns on the topic of immigration policy. Concerns and fears regarding national security got loaded onto the topic of immigration. This issue was Donald Trump’s featured platform on the campaign trail. This chapter examines the policy issues of immigration and national security as they got entrenched in the politics of fear and xenophobia, but operationalized in very different ways. The survey questions pertaining to military and security pivoted away from Iraq and Afghanistan to focus on Southeast Asia and China. The analysis here looks at voters’ candidate affect response toward both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton and how it affected appraisals of immigration and national security in 2016.