Immigration Enforcement: Trump isn’t Backing Off
For Trump, delay isn’t defeat. It’s an opportunity to learn and adjust.
J. Robert Smith | January 29, 2026
In response to the Renee Nicole Good and Alex Jeffrey Pretti killings, and President Trump’s announced changes in dealing with chaos in Minneapolis, corporate media crowed, claiming he was taking a U-turn. Plenty of conservative social media influencers blasted him. But Trump has done no such thing. Some prominent conservatives are overreacting. Corporate media -- vultures all -- are always anxious to tear a strip off Trump.
Trump's outreach to Minnesota governor Tim Walz marked a change in policy, corporate media and some conservatives claim. It’s a capitulation. Nope. Trump's de-escalation in Minneapolis isn't about scuttling his goal of getting criminal illegals off the streets and ending deportations. It's about finding different ways of doing it. Trump's many years of experience as a New York City developer and as president has taught him how to navigate sticky situations. He's learned that the way to achieving a goal is rarely by a straight line. It's a zig-zag course with plenty of setbacks and, usually, small steps forward until breakthroughs are accomplished.
How often in Trump's business and political careers has he quit? Infrequently, and certainly not when it comes to pursuing big prizes. For Trump, delay isn’t defeat. It’s an opportunity to learn and adjust.
Controlling the borders and winnowing out "undocumented" immigrants has been a core aim of Trump's since he first announced for the presidency. He isn't going to abandon that aim because of flak or roadblocks or wobbly establishment Republicans like Louisiana U.S. senator Bill Cassidy. He isn’t going to let quick judgments by conservative social media players pull him off his game.
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