Trump’s ICE Raids Backfire — Polls Crash, White House Scrambles
Trump’s ICE Raids Backfire — Polls Crash, White House Scrambles  
Podcast: The Tara Palmeri Show
Published On: Wed Jan 21 2026
Description: The White House is scrambling as Trump's aggressive ICE raids turn into a PR nightmare — what happens when the visuals of mass deportations alienate the very voters who put him back in power? On this eye-opening episode of the Tara Palmeri Show, former colleague and Axios reporter Marc Caputo joins to break down the internal wake-up call rocking the administration. Private GOP polling shows slipping support among independents, moderates, infrequent voters, and even key segments of white normies — well before the tragic shooting of Rene Nicole Good in Minneapolis during an ICE encounter intensified the backlash. From Joe Rogan calling the operations "Gestapo"-like to Trump's private frustrations over how the raids "look like a war zone" on social media, the conversation digs into the bind: Trump wants mass deportations but hates the messy, confrontational production playing out daily. Caputo details the talk of "recalibrating" the approach. The discussion also touches on frustrations with media coverage, local resistance in places like Minnesota, and why seeing the "sausage being made" is eroding Trump's once-strong border approval. What do these polling drops and White House second thoughts mean for the midterms and Trump's immigration agenda moving forward? For more of her reporting, subscribe to her weekly newsletter, "The Red Letter." https://tarapalmeri.substack.com/ https://www.tarapalmeri.com/subscribe Latest from the Red Letter: https://www.tarapalmeri.com/p/pete-hegseth-isnt-just-waging-a-culture https://www.tarapalmeri.com/p/the-epstein-story-isnt-just-americanits https://www.tarapalmeri.com/p/live-with-tara-palmeri-to-talk-epstein To support her mission of independent journalism, consider donating to her GoFundMe account: https://gofund.me/0c46f9a5 Follow Marc: https://www.instagram.com/marcacaputo https://x.com/MarcACaputo Tara Palmeri is one of the most feared and fearless reporters covering power and politics. She has 15 years of experience covering national politics and foreign affairs. She was formerly a White House Correspondent for ABC News where she covered the first Trump administration. She was the chief National Correspondent for POLITICO during the Biden administration. She has been a political analyst for CNBC, CBS and CNN. She started her career as a columnist for the Washington Examiner and then went on to report for the New York Post. She was a foreign correspondent for POLITICO Europe, where she covered international affairs, including Brexit. She hosted the Ringer's political podcast "Somebody's Gotta Win" and wrote a column for Puck. Tara also hosted two acclaimed podcasts on Jeffrey Epstein, "Broken: Jeffrey Epstein" and "Power: The Maxwells." Tara currently hosts the Tara Palmeri Show. Follow Tara: https://www.instagram.com/tarapalmeri/ https://x.com/tarapalmeri https://www.tiktok.com/@tarapalmeri For inquiries, email: TaraPalmeriInfo@gmail.com #Trump #Immigration #Deportation #ICERaids #MassDeportation #Politics #News #TrumpAdministration #BorderSecurity #MAGA #TaraPalmeriShow #TaraPalmeri Trump’s ICE Raids Backfire — Polls Crash, White House Scrambles Chapters: 00:00 Welcome to the Tara Palmeri Show 01:46 Marc Caputo joins the Tara Palmeri Show 03:21 Recalibrating immigration approach 05:31 Polling damage among independents and normies 07:30 Trump private concerns over raid optics 10:12 Economy push vs immigration distractions 12:24 Kristi Noem ambitions and performative raids 15:33 Masked agents and operational issues 18:05 Media coverage frustrations and local resistance 21:17 No major staff shakeups expected 24:39 Broader foreign policy tangents 27:18 Voter turnout risks for midterms 30:03 Escalation cycle and closing thoughts 32:55 Thanks for watching the Tara Palmeri Show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices