【Wen/Observer Net Qi Qian】
President Trump loves flattery and hates public dissent. Republicans know this well.
Therefore, when two people in Minnesota died due to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent actions, causing public outrage, Republicans found themselves in a dilemma.
"They were scared of the impact on the election," said Politico on January 26, recently developing situations have made Republicans increasingly worried about losing an electoral issue they can win votes on—border and public order. But they are more afraid of punishment from Trump, so they have to speak in a roundabout way, expressing their thoughts subtly.
The report noted that after the second protester's death, a series of statements and comments came from within the Republican Party, but these statements needed to be translated.
In fact, they had little confidence in Secretary of Homeland Security Mayorkas, fearing that the bloodshed would trigger more protests. From a purely political perspective, they were more concerned that, when voters were frustrated by rising living costs, this incident wasted the best issue: border and public order.
A senior Republican senator privately admitted that immigration is to the Republicans what healthcare is to the Democrats—a "home advantage." However, videos of American citizens being shot in broad daylight on social media have replaced images of immigrants crossing the border, rapidly eroding that advantage.
On the evening of the 26th, residents protested against ICE in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Eastern IC
The report said that Republican officials have a sense of crisis, believing that the developments could have disastrous consequences for the country and their political fate. However, they were also fearful of Trump, because so far, they still adopted the old tactics—private advice to Trump and his advisors.
Sarcasm lies in the fact that even so, most officials refused to take the lead, hoping one of their colleagues would take on the task. Text messages like "You can talk to them" or "Can you talk to them?" are circulating among senior Republicans.
Politico said that when legislators actually contact Trump, they never go straight to the point; instead, they start with praise and flattery before getting to the main issue. Because Republican officials are still hoping: they believe they don't need to openly express their real thoughts, as long as they wait a few days, the mass media coverage will make Trump realize the seriousness of the issue.
"This raises a question: if the president is so sensitive to media narratives, why don't more people within the party speak out clearly to shape the story?" The report pointed out that in fact, Republicans are speaking, but in a roundabout way, and the outside world needs to understand how to interpret it.
The first step in the Republicans' way of speaking: the president does not fail, he is betrayed.
This means that they blame Trump's advisors rather than holding Trump himself responsible for the mistakes.
For example, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt said, "Trump is a master negotiator, but the advice he received was bad." North Carolina Senator Tom Tillis is an expert in this regard, blaming some government officials for harming "the nation and President Trump's legacy." Former White House Press Secretary Grisham urged Trump, "Don't be stubborn anymore" and "Don't listen to advisors who provide false information."
Second step: offering "acceptable" suggestions in a subtle manner. This means that you learn to embed your core message between paragraphs.
For instance, Pennsylvania Senator David McCormick, in a speech, first praised ICE work, criticized the non-cooperation of Minnesota officials, then mentioned the key news, called for a comprehensive investigation into the tragedy in Minneapolis, and finally emphasized the point. He said, "We must enforce the law while protecting the public and maintaining its trust."
Actually, calling for hearings and independent investigations is an old slogan for American politicians.
On the 24th, Alex Prete was shot dead by ICE agents. Screenshot from video
On the local time of the 24th, 37-year-old white male citizen Alex Prete was shot dead after a confrontation with ICE officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This is the second time that a civilian has been killed by ICE officers in the city, and the incident has triggered intense division across the United States.
According to ABC on the 27th, over twenty Republican members of Congress have called for a thorough investigation into the incident.
The New York Times mentioned that recently, some Republicans have come forward to strongly support the Trump administration, attributing the death of an American citizen to so-called "leftist forces." At the same time, many senior party figures expressed serious concerns. This indicates that there is a rare split within the Republican Party regarding this shooting, which happened in broad daylight and was recorded by bystanders.
The report pointed out that these divisions are unlikely to signal a fundamental shift within the Republican Party, as the party is still firmly under Trump's control, but this may indicate a dangerous political signal for the Republicans as the November midterm elections approach.
A recent U.S. media poll showed that about half of voters support Trump's border management and immigration policies, but most (61%) believe that ICE's strategies are too extreme.
Some analysts believe that as the midterm elections approach, Democrats will seize the opportunity to take the offensive on immigration issues.
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Original: toutiao.com/article/7599929764933059072/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.