President Trump's team recently reviewed private GOP polling that showed support for his immigration policies falling. The results, reflected in public surveys, bolstered internal concern about the administration's confrontational enforcement tactics.
- Now, as the chaotic scenes from Minnesota play out around the clock on TV and social media, Axios has learned that some Trump advisers quietly are talking about "recalibrating" the White House's approach — though it's unclear what changes Trump would embrace, if any.
- The private polling suggested a rupturing of the coalition of independent, moderate and minority voters who were key parts of Trump's victory in 2024. Such voters will play a big role in determining whether Republicans keep their slim House majority in November's midterms.
- If Republicans lose the House, Trump will head into his final two years in office as a lame duck who, he acknowledges, could face a third impeachment.
- "I wouldn't say he's concerned about the policy," a top Trump adviser told Axios. "He wants deportations. He wants mass deportations. What he doesn't want is what people are seeing. He doesn't like the way it looks. It looks bad, so he's expressed some discomfort at that."
- "... There's the right way to do this. And this doesn't look like the right way to a lot of people."
- ICE's aggressive tactics are dominating the news and obscuring the White House's work on cost-of-living issues that congressional Republicans, Trump and his team see as more important.
- 60% of independent voters and 58% of undecided voters said Trump was "too focused" on deporting illegal immigrants, the poll viewed by Trump's team found.
- 33% said Trump was primarily deporting law-abiding people, as opposed to criminals.
- Another poll done for the Associated Press after Good's death found that just 38% of Americans now approve of Trump's immigration policies.
- "Are we really going to be the Gestapo?" he asked. " 'Where's your papers?' Is that what we've come to?"
- State and local officials, including Gov. Tim Walz (D), have encouraged peaceful protests.
- "You're only seeing chaotic ICE raids in blue sanctuary cities where local officials are fighting against federal law enforcement," Vice President Vance said Tuesday on X.
- In a Truth Social post Thursday, Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act in Minnesota, which among other things could lead to him sending in National Guard troops.
- White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem are architects of the current effort, and they have Trump's support.
- Some Trump allies believe Noem, a former South Dakota governor, is preparing to run for president in 2028 as an immigration hardliner.
- For now, Trump's policy is escalation — sending more federal agents into Minneapolis as Minnesota sues to stop it.
- "President Trump continues to be viewed as a strong leader who keeps the American people safe," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Axios. "A big reason for that is his law and order agenda and handling of immigration/border security — which remains among his best polling issues with voters."
