Fox News contributors Lisa Boothe and Robert Wolf, joined by FOX Business anchor David Asman, made the point plainly on The Story that President Trump made a politically savvy pivot from headline-grabbing ICE confrontations back to the economy where most Americans feel the pain and care about results. Conservatives should celebrate a leader who recognizes that winning hearts and votes means talking about paychecks, prices, and pocketbooks rather than letting the media set the agenda.
That strategic shift was on full display during Trump’s recent stops in the Midwest, where the White House has pushed an affordability message and urged the president to travel out of Washington regularly to showcase economic wins. Republicans are rightly trying to force a contrast between their tax-and-growth record and the left’s talk while reminding voters that real relief comes from jobs and lower costs, not virtue-signaling.
The change in emphasis didn’t happen in a vacuum: the administration’s aggressive ICE operation in Minneapolis, which tragically included two recent deaths that set off nationwide protests, forced a recalculation of tactics and messaging in real time. President Trump dispatched Border Czar Tom Homan to take charge, a move meant to steady the ship while insisting on enforcement of the law.
Homan has publicly said a drawdown of federal personnel in Minnesota is possible — but only if local officials cooperate and allow sensible enforcement through jails and detention processes, while Trump himself signaled a desire to “de-escalate a little bit” to avoid inflaming tensions further. Pragmatic conservatives should support de-escalation that preserves law and order rather than surrendering to mob pressure or media hysteria.
Meanwhile, the media and the left are rushing to exploit tragedy as a cudgel to derail the conversation on affordability, and that’s exactly the kind of distraction Boothe and Wolf warned viewers about on Fox. The GOP’s job is to keep refocusing voters on tangible economic improvements and to expose the partisan playbook that tries to make every headline into a campaign catastrophe.
Politically, Trump’s recalibrated message — paired with promises about monetary leadership and a looming Fed chair selection — gives Republicans ammunition to argue for lower rates, more growth, and sustained prosperity if voters keep Congress in friendly hands. Conservatives must press the case: deliver results on affordability, defend the rule of law, and don’t give ground on principles that keep neighborhoods safe and jobs growing.
Hardworking Americans want leaders who produce, not who perform for headlines, and that is the simple test this pivot must pass. If President Trump keeps hammering the economy while holding firm on enforcement and accountability, the GOP can turn the noise into a narrative about competence and prosperity that wins elections and improves lives.
