Much has been said today about the alleged “secret tapes” The New York Times has of Donald Trump reneging on his famed immigration stance. Heck, Trump going back on his word was the theme of John Oliver‘s 20-minute monologue last night, so the timing is perfect.

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Except the timing isn’t anything noteworthy at all. First of all, The Daily Caller reported in October that during an interview with Larry King, Trump admitted that his presidential immigration policy would be “something with heart.” When asked why he wasn’t showing that more compassionate side on the campaign trail, he was pretty clear:

Maybe I wouldn’t be doing as well in the polls.

The idea that Trump is acting cruel and tough to be elected and will then turn into a big softie is a little far-fetched (and is a strategy that also says a lot of unthinkable things about how he views the electorate, not to mention human nature on the whole) but consider this more reasonable offering:

Yes, in a January interview

with Byron York, Trump said things that are very likely the same as what he is purported to have said on the NYT tapes. He spoke of negotiation and not being “hard and fast 100 percent.”

Unless the news is that Trump, like other politicians, occasionally says one thing and does another in the name of being elected, there is no news here.

[image via screengrab]

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Tags: Donald Trump, flip flop, immigration, New York Times