http://www.timesdaily.com/news/elections/alabama-s-sessions-trump-bond-on-immigration-trade/article_d59973ac-e453-5bd4-812d-708fc27ba4ae.htmlJohn Bazemore/Associated Press
"I do think the Republican Party needs to recognize that it is in danger of promoting an agenda that's contrary to the wishes of its own voters," Sessions said. "This can be a death blow."
As the first — and to this point, only — senator to endorse Trump, Sessions has taken on the role as Washington gatekeeper for the GOP front-runner. He's assembled the candidate's foreign policy leadership team and sends other experts Trump's way. When Trump name-drops Sessions on the campaign trail, it elicits cheers from crowds who have come to see his endorsement as affirmation of their candidate's hard line on immigration.
"When it came to immigration, which is a very big issue for me, and trade, which is an enormous issue for me, I felt he's the most respected person in Washington," Trump said of Sessions during an interview with The Associated Press.
"He's the most ardent, anti-immigrant restrictionist that you can find," said Frank Sharry, executive director of the pro-immigration group America's Voice. "He comes from the kick-them-out-and-keep-them-out camp."
Sessions sees Trump's rise as validation of his belief that Republicans' political success depends not on expanding its appeal with the fast-growing Hispanic voting bloc, but on siding with working-class voters who view job competition from immigrants and trade agreements as a threat to their own economic security.
The senator dismisses the notion that he and Trump's views are geared only toward white voters, saying he's "morally" confident that he's aligned with Hispanics and African-Americans as much as anyone else.
"You bring in more labor, you're competing directly with them," Sessions said of minorities.A turning point came in January, when the senator joined other lawmakers and prominent conservatives at a private retreat in Sea Island, Georgia. The exclusive gathering was held just a few weeks before primary voting began, as the reality that Trump's candidacy wasn't fading began to set in with many Republicans.
Sessions became incensed as one high-profile speaker in particular railed against Trump, warning that he would be destructive for the party. Though Sessions wasn't scheduled to speak,
he stood up unexpectedly and berated his colleagues for being the ones putting the party's future at risk by failing to fully understand their voters' economic concerns."I just felt like, we've got to battle for the heart and soul for the Republican Party," Sessions said. "Are we going to reattach with the middle class, working Americans or are we going to continue to kowtow to the donor class?"
Sessions' endorsement stunned some conservatives, who assumed that if he did back a candidate, it would be Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. But
Sessions suggested he didn't see his Senate colleague as a viable nominee, noting that his endorsement came after Trump defeated Cruz in the South Carolina primary.
