ABSTRACT
The Trump Wall suggests the exclusivity associated with those who are protected by it, just like the customers of a Trump hotel or resort: US citizens. Democratic leaders, on the other hand, support the notion of a “smart” and “modern” border, one where access is regulated in an orderly manner and in the name of a neoliberal ethos based on efficiency and cost-effectiveness. While Democrats constantly opposed the Trump Wall before and during Trump’s mandate, their leadership shared with the former president a common concern with border security. The articulation of borders as a topic in the discourse of the nation by both Trump and the Democrats shows that mainstream political leaders in the USA continually engage with the representation of threats to the public and to social order and, for this reason, contribute to the construction of collective insecurity.
