It cannot be overstated how badly Democrats screwed up Tuesday night during President Trump's State of the Union address.
As we've reported, they actually thought it would be a good look to voters to remain seated when Trump asked a critically important question of members of Congress as the 2026 midterm campaign season kicks into high gear: "If you agree with this statement, then stand up and show your support: The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens."
They fell right into the trap set by Trump, with not a single one standing. The next day, Sen. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) dug a deeper hole for them by proclaiming that the reason they didn't stand was that they didn't want to be a "prop" for Trump. Newsflash, Chuck: It's not being a "prop" to show your support for American citizens over criminal illegal immigrants.
READ MORE: Chuck Schumer Steps in It When Asked About the Refusal to Stand for Americans During the SOTU
And now, to make matters worse for Democrats on the subject of illegal immigration, fresh polling information shows that despite all the smear campaigns against DHS and ICE and the operations in places like Los Angeles and Minneapolis, Republicans are still more trusted on this issue than Democrats.
CNN data guru Harry Enten explained Thursday morning during a segment on the network's News Central program:
“So this whole idea that Democrats are going to be able to take advantage of the immigration issue actually doesn’t bear itself out in the polling, despite everything that’s been going on. In fact, Democrats are in worse position than they were during Donald Trump’s first term … They think Democrats will do a worse job on immigration than Republicans,” Enten said.
Americans have also consistently trusted Republicans more on border security. The party’s lead on this issue shifted from +13 in 2018 to +15 currently, Enten said while citing a Fox News survey.
“So when you put it all together, you put immigration with border security and the idea that Democrats will be able to take the ball and run away on it,” Enten said. “The polling data suggests no, no, no. Democrats running on immigration may actually be to the Republicans advantage. This is actually an issue that Republicans should be more comfortable running on than Democrats.”
Watch:
🚨NEW: CNN's Harry Enten: "This whole idea that Democrats are gonna be able to take advantage of the immigration issue actually DOESN'T bear itself out in the polling — despite everything that’s been going on!"
— Jason Cohen 🇺🇸 (@JasonJournoDC) February 26, 2026
"In fact, Democrats are in a WORSE position than they were during… pic.twitter.com/QS3DMzBPsl
Well before the SOTU, Trump drew the line in the sand on criminal illegal immigrants, and Democrats crossed it. It is 50 shades of delicious to know that, as things stand right now, hitting Republicans in the midterms over this issue is unlikely to have the negative impact Democrats hoped it would. In fact, it could ultimately backfire on Democrats - and quite spectacularly.
After all the radical left's/media's desperate antics and theatrics when it comes to trying to thwart ICE and Trump on the catching and deporting of illegal immigrants, wouldn't that be something?
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
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