Trump said the obvious: Build the wall
Donald Trump looked like and acted as president of the USA during his speech on August 31, 2016 with Mexican president Nieto. Trump took the gamble to accept Nieto's invitation to meet in Mexico before his speech to set forth his ten-point plan to deal with immigration. Meanwhile, Hillary declined the invitation, maybe out of habit, expecting a contribution to the Clinton Foundation or a speaking fee for Bubba if she appeared.
Trump was confident and dominated the press conference in Mexico. The optics were great. Trump spoke in clear, measured tones to state his positon to control immigration. He was respectful to Nieto and Mexicans by stressing the benefits to both countries of controlling immigration. He did not bow, grovel, or apologize for American power as Obama did during his apology tour.
Trump was clear that he would build the wall. It will be a combination of a wall, fences, and electronic monitoring similar to the walls in Israel. Building the wall is the key to immigration control because it shows that we are serious to prevent further illegal immigration and just as important to prevent terrorists from crossing the southern border.
Obama, George W. Bush, and co-presidents Hillary and Bill Clinton did nothing to secure the border. By failing to secure the border, they allowed more illegal aliens to cross, which then created the problem of what to do with the 11 million or more here illegally. Bush's plan failed to get conservative support because it was clear that the border would not be secured. The plan of Clinton, Bush, and Obama seemed to be to let the illegals in and then require employers to verify the legal status of all employees to weed out illegal aliens. So they put the burden on employers and fined employers who got caught hiring illegals. One with common sense would ask: why not secure the border with a wall, keep out the illegals, and not bother American employers with more regulations that increase the cost of doing business, which reduces employment of Americans?
Trump, when he announced his candidacy, seized the immigration issue by announcing he would build a wall to secure the border. Securing the border is the key because once you stop the illegal flow, then you can deal with the illegals here. Trump's opponents and the mainstream media missed the importance of building the wall and directed their attacks upon "how do you deport 11 million?" Promising to build the wall created the trust and bond between Trump and his supporters. Further, deporting illegals with criminal records, ending sanctuary cities, tracking visas, and dealing with the illegals here are important points of his plan.
Building a wall to secure the border is a commonsense and obvious solution that seemed to escape the Washington political class until Trump, an outsider and businessman, looked at the problem and stated the obvious solution.
The Israelis have built a wall and fence, including underground barriers, which has reduced the terrorist attacks in Israel.
Trump rode the issue to win the primaries, and he will win the presidency because of this.