Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin (Ill.) on Wednesday predicted that many Republicans will step forward by the end of the day to oppose President Donald Trump's views on immigration.
In an interview with "The View" table, co-host Meghan McCain asked Durbin if he felt he may have done more harm than good for the immigration bill by coming out with accusations about what the president may have said in a private meeting.
"You have a history of misrepresenting statements from private White House meetings, and some say you have actually done more harm than good to the DACA deal by revealing what Trump said in his private meeting," McCain said. "Do you think that’s true?"
The senator, following a closed door immigration meeting with the president and other congressional leaders last week, made accusations Trump referred to "s–hole" countries in Africa and questioned why the United States should allow immigrants from Haiti.
Durbin, referencing the cantillating voices of protestors at the Capitol, said on Wednesday he believed his comments have caused people to feel more mobilized to stand up for the illegal immigrants previously protected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
"I believe that the strength behind this–the energy behind this movement– to help these dreamers DACA protected, is stronger than ever," Durbin said.
However, McCain said gaining traction with Democrats isn’t enough since they already, for the most part, support DACA.
"There’s a lot more support with Democrats than there are with Republicans on DACA, which is why Democrats were trying to speak with President Trump. And I think that’s the argument: you’ve possibly done more harm than good with Republicans," McCain said.
"I think, honestly, you’re going to see by the end of the day more Republicans stepping forward and saying they don’t agree with President Trump’s views on immigration," Durbin predicted. "I don’t believe those views represent America, I certainly don’t believe they represent the views of the majority of Republicans."