While the world waits and waits to see whether Donald Trump will seek the presidency again, it is worth looking back at one of the enduring puzzles of his time in office: why he failed to achieve some of his key goals on immigration even when the opportunity to win seemed to be handed to him.
Immigration was central to his rise. During the 2016 primaries, Republican voters who said it was their top issue were among his biggest supporters. A wall on the U.S. border with Mexico was his most famous policy objective. Yet he got only 47 miles of the border walled off during his term.
Even though he was elected alongside Republican majorities in the House and Senate, he did not make funding for the wall a legislative priority. And he kicked away his best chance at a bipartisan deal to pay for it.
