President Donald Trump is reportedly privately voicing discomfort with how his administration’s immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis is being perceived, even as the White House publicly signals unwavering support and threatens to escalate the federal response, according to a new report.
The report, published by Axios, says Trump has expressed concern about what advisers describe as the “bad” look of the operation. This behind-the-scenes unease comes as the president has openly warned he could invoke the Insurrection Act, potentially deploying the military or federalizing the National Guard in Minnesota to shut down ongoing protests tied to immigration enforcement.
While Trump’s public posture has emphasized toughness and resolve, one senior presidential adviser told Axios that the president’s private concerns are not about the substance of his immigration agenda. According to the adviser, Trump remains firmly committed to deportations, including large-scale removals, but is unhappy with how events are unfolding visually and politically.
“I wouldn’t say he’s concerned about the policy,” the adviser said. “He wants deportations. He wants mass deportations. What he doesn’t want is what people are seeing.” The adviser added that Trump believes there is a right way to carry out enforcement and that the current situation does not appear to meet that standard, at least in terms of optics.
Axios reported that Trump’s reservations predate the ICE shooting of Minnesota woman Renee Nicole Good, which intensified protests and further inflamed tensions. According to the outlet, Trump’s team had already been reviewing internal Republican polling showing erosion in public support for his immigration approach. That polling, conducted late last year, reportedly raised red flags among key voter groups.
The data cited by Axios showed a noticeable dip in support among independents, moderates, and minority voters — constituencies that played a role in Trump’s 2024 victory and are considered critical to Republican efforts to maintain control of the House in the upcoming midterm elections. The polling found that 60 percent of independent voters and 58 percent of undecided voters believed Trump was “too focused” on deporting undocumented immigrants.
Those concerns have taken on greater urgency as images and video from Minneapolis circulate widely. Footage showing masked federal officers and confrontations between law enforcement and demonstrators has dominated cable news coverage and spread rapidly across social media platforms. Even some supporters of Trump’s broader agenda have questioned the tactics on display, including prominent figures like Joe Rogan, who raised doubts about how the enforcement actions are being carried out.
According to Axios, the growing backlash has sparked quiet discussions among some of Trump’s advisers about potentially “recalibrating” the administration’s approach. What that recalibration might entail remains unclear, and there is no indication that the president is reconsidering his core policy goals.
Instead, the report suggests Trump is grappling with how to balance aggressive immigration enforcement with political realities, particularly as visual imagery and public perception threaten to overshadow his message. As protests continue and the administration weighs its next steps, the tension between projecting strength and managing optics appears to be an increasingly central concern inside the White House.
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