Donald Trump just engaged in a massive flip-flop, and the "story hasn't received the attention it really deservers," according to conservative commentator Charlie Sykes.
Sykes released his Substack newsletter on Sunday, covering the most recent news stories. One of them is labeled, "The Mother of All TACOS," referring to the financial trading term Trump Always Chickens Out.
"Given the frenetic pace of the news cycle, this story hasn’t received the attention it really deserves: After making mass deportation and ICE raids on workplaces a centerpiece of his presidency, Donald J. Trump chickened out. Once again," Sykes said. "It was a flip-flip so gobsmacking that it left some of his closest aides stunned."
Sykes quoted Trump as saying, "Our farmers are being hurt badly. They have very good workers [that] have worked for them for 20 years. They’re not citizens, but they’ve turned out to be great. And we’re going to have to do something about that. We can’t take all their people and send them back ... And leisure too, and hotels."
Sykes reported:
"Later in the day, ICE ordered agents to 'hold on all work site enforcement investigations/operations on agriculture (including aquaculture and meat packing plants), restaurants and operating hotels.' The NYT reports that Trump’s reversal came after lobbying from the industries most affected by the raids."
He added, "But… dammmmmm. His serial blinks on tariffs pale compared to this volte-face."
"For months, Mr. Trump and his aides have said they would target all immigrants without legal status in the United States to make good on his campaign promise for mass deportations. While the administration came into office saying it would initially target undocumented immigrants with criminal records, it has in recent weeks expanded to raiding work sites and sweeping up other undocumented immigrants broadly. On Thursday, Mr. Trump acknowledged that the crackdown might be alienating industries he wanted to keep on his side."
Sykes added, "WTAF?" which likely refers to, "What the actual f---."