CNN Panel Credits Trump for Supposed ‘Change of Tone’: ‘He Acknowledged Learning Something’

A CNN host and analyst credited President Donald Trump for a supposed “change of tone” after the president “acknowledged learning something.”

On Wednesday’s News Central, CNN aired a clip of Trump’s interview with NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Llamas, who asked the president about what he had learned amid his ongoing immigration crackdown in Minneapolis.

“I learned that maybe we can use a little bit of a softer touch,” Trump said. “But you still have to be tough. These are criminal– we’re dealing with really hard criminals.  But look, I’ve called the people, I’ve called the governor, I’ve called the mayor, spoke to him, had great conversations with him. And then I see them ranting and raving out there, literally as though a call wasn’t made.”

Trump’s remarks came amid news that his administration would withdraw 700 of the 2,700 federal agents from the Twin Cities area.

“A change of tone for the president,” News Central host Brianna Keilar remarked. “Softer touch. But he’s also saying everyone’s criminals when we know they’re not.”

CNN Political Director David Chalian responded:

Yeah, he’s clearly not looking to change the overall approach and strategy of what he ran on and what he was elected to do in mass deportation. But it is interesting to hear him take the rhetoric and try to place it back on the worst of the worst: criminals. He understands that what occurred in Minneapolis got far afield from what he had actually sort of talked about and promised, and saw the backlash from the country on this.

And so, normally you would hear somebody ask President Trump, say, “What’ve you learned?” You would think you’d get bluster of, like, “I’ve learned what I always knew or something.” No! Like, he acknowledged learning something that this requires a softer touch. Now again, I don’t want to say we’re going to see a 180-degree turn here. But he’s clearly responding to the fact that the country was really displeased with what they were seeing.

Watch above via CNN.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!