When Pope Francis makes his maiden visit to the US next week, he will accomplish something that has eluded the 2016 presidential contenders — overshadowing Donald Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican nomination.
US television networks will provide wall-to-wall coverage of the visit, which will include the first speech by a Pope to Congress. But while the pontiff will steal some of Mr Trump’s media thunder, he is also expected to wade into a debate about immigration — an issue that has helped propel the brash real estate magnate to the front of the Republican pack.
Since losing the 2012 election, party leaders have talked about the need to appeal to Hispanics, who are the fastest growing segment of the US electorate. But Mr Trump has upended that plan by campaigning against illegal Mexican immigrants, some of whom he has called “rapists”, and reopening a polarising debate that the Republicans had hoped to avoid in 2016.
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