A controversial Democratic message makes a return: From the Politics Desk

Welcome to the online version of From the political officea newsletter bringing you the latest reporting and analysis from the NBC News Politics team from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.

In today’s edition, Natasha Korecki and Matt Dixon explore how President Donald Trump’s immigration raids have changed Democrats’ strategy. In addition, Jonathan Allen ends the political impasse in which Trump finds himself on the economy.

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—Adam Wollner

🚨Latest news: The Indiana Senate voted against a congressional map drawn up by the Republican Party, rejecting a months-long pressure campaign by Trump. A majority of Republicans (21 of 40) in the House ended up opposing the redistricting effort. Read more →

“Abolish ICE” reappears in Democratic message

By Natasha Korecki and Matt Dixon

There was a time when calling for dismantling the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency was considered too risky for a Democrat to campaign on.

But today, images of aggressive arrests of immigrants in cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, D.C., New Orleans and Charlotte, North Carolina, have brought anti-ICE sentiment back into the party’s messaging.

Here’s an example from Patty Garcia, who is running for Congress in Illinois’ solidly Democratic 4th Congressional District.

“Let me be clear: F— ICE,” she said, launching her offer. “It’s time to abolish ICE and hold Trump and his entire clan accountable.”

Meanwhile, in Maine’s Senate race, the message is more mixed. Democrat Graham Platner pledged to hold ICE agents accountable and “make them take their masks off.” On the other hand, his main opponent, Maine Governor Janet Mills, refused to sign a bill prohibiting local law enforcement from cooperating with immigration agents.

The comments from some Democrats come as President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown sparks growing political backlash at the ballot box, in polls and even among some members of his own party. For the most part, Democrats have refrained from calling for the outright abolition of ICE and are instead pushing for transparency, oversight or restricting local and state governments’ cooperation with federal immigration agents.

There’s a difference today compared to how Democrats approached the issue in 2018, when the “Abolish ICE” movement swept through the progressive wing of the party. Many Democrats are now calling for an end to what they have called the “secret police,” saying they are carrying out “kidnappings.” Most emphasize the need for a secure border and support deportations that target criminals, but they say current immigration efforts are shrouded in secrecy and lack accountability.

It represents a shift in how these Democrats plan to position themselves on one of the key issues that brought Trump to power last year.

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Trump’s fundamental policy dilemma regarding the economy

Analysis by Jonathan Allen

Whether President Donald Trump or not think if there’s a problem with the economy, he better not say it out loud.

Of course, he risks seeming out of touch with reality at a time when many Americans feel like they’re struggling to keep up, let alone move forward. A new AP-NORC poll found that 31% of respondents approve of Trump’s handling of the economy, including a surprisingly low 69% of Republicans. And my conversations with voters in Pennsylvania and Michigan in recent weeks reflect similar sentiments.

But Trump will no longer be on the ballot — so there’s no risk he’ll lose his job — and he doesn’t know whether the economy, real or perceived, will be stronger, weaker or the same when voters decide whether to retain the Republican majority in Congress next November.

What he knows, with the certainty acquired during his life as a salesman, is that denigrating your own product is a terrible way to get anyone to buy it. That is, if he starts saying there is an affordability problem, voters – and investors – are more likely to believe him and take actions that exacerbate the problem.

If voters feel better about the economy over the next year, he’d like to be able to take credit for being right all along. If they don’t, Republican candidates will face serious difficulties, no matter what he says now.

In recent days, Trump has moved from flatly rejecting affordability as an issue for voters to asserting that the outlook is brighter than his critics claim, largely because of policies he initiated but that have yet to take full effect, from tariffs to tax cuts. In a speech Tuesday in Pennsylvania, he said “prices were too high” when he took office and that he had “no higher priority than making America affordable again.”

His visit to the northeast corner of the state, which is expected to host one of the most competitive House races next year, implied understanding of people’s discontent. And yet, he stopped short of a mea culpa or even a promise to adjust his agenda.

Trump is not the first president to find himself in the unenviable position of selling an economic record that fails to meet public expectations. Even his immediate predecessor, Joe Biden, experienced much the same thing – and refused to change his approach as well.

Most politicians, like most salespeople, see little point in pointing out flaws. In this way, Trump is both a salesman and a politician when it comes to the economy.

That’s all that’s coming from the politburo for now. Today’s newsletter was written by Adam Wollner.

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