'Never in a million years': CNN host shocked by data on Trump's 'political loser' policy
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments on president Donald Trump's executive order ending birthright citizenship, but Americans are broadly opposed to that policy – and CNN's John Berman was shocked by its unpopularity.
Three district courts have already paused his order to end birthright citizenship for the children of people who are in the U.S. illegally, and CNN's Harry Enten showed polling data on the issue that found Americans increasingly support that right which is enshrined in the Constitution's 14th Amendment.
"A lot of legal scholars will agree this is a fringy idea, and I think the American public agrees it is a fringy idea," Enten said. "Take a look here: Ending birthright citizenship, and keep in mind this polling specifically asked about for children born to immigrants illegally here. Look at this: Just 41 percent support, 56 percent oppose. You rarely get 56 percent of the country to agree on anything, but on this one, they do agree that ending birthright citizenship, even for children who are here, to parents who are born, who are here illegally – they oppose that idea."
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"Keep in mind, I've looked at every single poll on the subject," Enten added. "Different question wording, [but] in every single one, the majority oppose. Oftentimes the opposed the opposition number is actually higher than the 56 [percent]. If anything, this is the low level, at least at this point in time."
That opposition is actually growing over time, Enten said.
"This 41 percent who support that idea, currently, only about four in 10 Americans," Enten said. "Take a look here: This was a stat that I think surprised Mr. Berman, he was surprised by this one. Look, he's shaking his head off on the side, support ending birthright citizenship, we get 41 percent. Now, look where it was in 2010 during the Tea Party craze, right, 47 percent. How about in the early 90s? It was a majority who supported. The number has been going down, down, down on this particular subject, which I think is quite surprising to a lot of folks, because there's obviously the anti-immigration fervor in this country seems higher. But on this particular question, support ending birthright citizenship, in fact, we're near record lows on this number at least over the last 30 years."
Berman pointed out that support for deportations was rising, and Enten agreed the public opposition to ending birthright citizenship was clearly moving in the opposite direction and had been for decades.
"Never in a million years, this is never what I would have predicted on this, which is why it's so important to see what the polls are telling us here," Berman said.
Enten was also surprised by another finding that showed 51 percent of Democrats were motivated to vote on that issue, while only 31 percent of Democrats were motivated to vote on birthright citizenship.
"This is a political battle they're not winning," Enten said. "Democrats are winning this political battle, and if I were advising the Donald Trump White House, I'd say stick to other issues on immigration, not this one, because this one, as I said, is a political loser."