FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump sits behind a bill he signed to end the partial government shutdown, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 3, 2026. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo
The eye-popping comments President Donald Trump made during an interview on Wednesday show that somebody inside the White House has gotten to him, according to a former Fox News anchor.
Trump gave an interview to NBC News on Wednesday, in which he acknowledged that his administration could have used a "softer touch" in its immigration enforcement in Minneapolis. His comments represent an abrupt about-face for a president who has consistently defended his deportation regime and claimed they were only going after the "worst of the worst" criminals.
Gretchen Carlson, a former Fox News host, said during an interview on CNN's "Erin Burnett OutFront" that she was surprised to hear the president's comments.
"Somebody got to him," Carlson said. "Presumably, the polls are the first thing that got to him because he's absolutely cratering in the polls on this issue."
Even though the words were nice to hear from the president, Carlson said she still had her reservations.
"But the thing that I worry about is, after he seemed to have a little empathy for the situation in Minnesota and two U.S. citizens were murdered, then, last Friday night, he was asked about it on the red carpet, and he completely flipped again," she said. "So I'm worried now that these comments were from the last person who spoke to him before he went out to do this interview."