Trump reveals 'clear sensitive spot' for his presidency in new interview: analyst
President Donald Trump revealed a "clear sensitive spot" during a contentious interview on his handling of immigration, according to a CNN analyst.
The president defended his administration's refusal to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador, in defiance of court orders to "facilitate" his return to the U.S., and CNN's Washington bureau chief David Chalian flagged his comments on the legality of mass deportations as significant.
"I don't think it's just Donald Trump's base of supporters or followers in conservative media who believe in the overall goal," Chalian said. "Getting people who are here illegally, especially those that commit crimes out of this country, I think there is broad support for that. So it does come to the how and as you're saying, depicting the way it is done."
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Trump's polling on immigration remains stronger than his overall approval rating or the economy, but majorities say he has gone too far on deportations and believe his policies have not made the country safer, and nearly 60 percent believe the federal government is not being careful in following the law while carrying out the deportations.
"What I think was so interesting about that exchange with Terry Moran at ABC [News] was less about the immigration piece of it," Chalian said, "and more as Terry was pressing him on the rule of law piece of it, and interesting that Donald Trump was sort of suggesting, though, that the buck stops elsewhere, not in the Oval Office, but that he's not involved in this and he's just following lawyer's advice, and when he said at the end, 'I follow the rule of law,' I find this so interesting."
"This is a clear sensitive spot for Donald Trump," Chalian added. "He understands the precarious nature that he is in, if he is seen as defying a court order."
"CNN This Morning" host Audie Cornish was dubious.
"Really?" Cornish said. "Because everyone keeps talking about the idea that he's trying to push things to the Supreme Court."
"Every time he's asked about it he, like, stresses a message of, like, 'I follow the rule, I have respect for the court, I'm going to follow the court,'" Chalian replied.
Cornish asked if the president thinks the Supreme Court would rule in his favor on the deportations, and Chalian said he wasn't sure, but he said Trump clearly understood his policies were undercutting his approval rating.
"I think he clearly understands the politics of not following the rule," he said.
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