Legacy Media Claims America’s Turned on ICE. The Polling Says Otherwise

What this episode is about

The recent violence in Minnesota following the shooting of Renee Good has ignited a contentious debate over public sentiment regarding law enforcement and immigration enforcement, with legacy media claiming widespread support for Democrats while the Trump administration believes it has backing from the public. Brent Buchanan of Signal Polling argues that the media's portrayal misrepresents the actual responses from the American people on this issue.

Key takeaways

• Polling shows 60% still support deportation; mainstream media's narrative doesn't match reality.
• The enduring Trump mandate on immigration proves that keeping issues in the spotlight can sway public opinion.
• Civic duty beats street chaos: 70% disapprove of illegal protest actions against ICE raids.
• Young liberal women: the outlier demographic that embraces law-breaking for 'justice,' defying majority sentiment.
• Minnesota’s chaos exposes a fractured public narrative, where media distorts while polling reveals steadfast views.

Who speaks in this episode?

• John Bickley (Host) · 5 min speaking
• Brent Buchanan (Guest) · 7 min speaking
• Georgia How (Host)

What is discussed, and when

1. 0:00 – 3:00: Brent Buchanan, HelloFresh, John Bickley, Signal Polling
2. 12:00 – 12:23: Brent Buchanan, Signal Polling

Notable quotes from "Legacy Media Claims America’s Turned on ICE. The Polling Says Otherwise"

• Polling, who says the legacy media's got it wrong on how the American people are responding. I'm Daily Wire executive editor John Bickley with Georgia How.

  about John Bickley · at 0:25

• Applied as a discount on first box. New subscribers only varies by plan. Joining us now to discuss how the American public is responding to the showdown in Minnesota and…

  about Signal Polling · at 1:34

• Cliff. That everybody wants ICE to be done, enforcing our own laws. And the reality is that still 60% of people want those who are here illegally deported. And back in July we…

  about Brent Buchanan · at 2:30

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

• Brent Buchanan — Person · Main guest · 3 mentions · first at 0:23
  Interview subject providing polling data and strategic advice about public opinion on ICE/deportations, media narratives, and midterm messaging.
• John Bickley — Person · Host · 2 mentions · first at 0:29
  Introduces the episode and conducts the interview, framing questions around Minnesota unrest, immigration politics, and midterm implications.

Companies & orgs

• Signal Polling — Company · Business focus · 3 mentions · first at 0:23
  Provides polling insights on public opinion regarding political issues discussed in the episode

Sponsors

• HelloFresh — Product · Sponsor · 2 mentions · first at 0:40
  Primary sponsor of the episode, promoting meal delivery services
  Start the new year with meals that actually make you feel good. Our sponsor, HelloFresh, takes the stress right out of cooking so you can enjoy delicious homemade dinners every.

Full transcript with timestamps

0:02 The violence and chaos in Minnesota since the shooting of Renee Good has prompted a series of escalations from Democrats in the state and the Trump administration. It's also sparked a massive public debate. The legacy media says the American people are siding with the Democrats on the issue while the administration says they've got the public on their side. In this episode, we sit down with Brent Buchanan, president of Signal Polling, who says the legacy media's got it wrong on how the American people are responding. I'm Daily Wire executive editor John Bickley with Georgia How.

0:33 This is a weekend edition of Morning Wire. Start the new year with meals that actually make you feel good. Our sponsor, HelloFresh, takes the stress right out of cooking so you can enjoy delicious homemade dinners every single night. HelloFresh brings people together with meals that are simple and rewarding even on your busiest week nights. With over 100 mouthwatering recipes each week, from seasonal favorites to global dishes like barbecue pork burgers, you'll find bigger portions that ensure nobody leaves the table hungry. Take it from me, I've ordered everything from Hawaiian pizza and nacho crunch burgers to lamb chops and fillets. And no matter the meal, it's always top-notch and simple to prep. Plus, you can choose from over 35 high protein weekly recipes, including new Mediterranean and GLP-p1 friendly options, all made with wholesome ingredients like sustained sourced seafood and 100% antibiotic and

1:21 hormone-free chicken. And when it comes to taste, HelloFresh knocks it out of the park with steak and seafood options. Go to hellofresh.com/morningwire10fm to get 10 free meals and a free ising knife on your third box. Offer only valid while supplies last. Free meals applied as a discount on first box. New subscribers only varies by plan. Joining us now to discuss how the American public is responding to the showdown in Minnesota and Trump's larger immigration agenda is Brent Buchanan, founder and president of Signal Polling.

1:51 Brent, first of all, thank you so much for coming on. Hey, great to be back. So, we've seen a really explosive situation in Minnesota that's highlighting for the American people the realities on the ground for ICE. And you've talked about this as sort of a rorchack test in terms of your political ideology. We wanted to get a sense from you about the the American public's response to this, how they feel about the deportations, how they feel about ICE in particular. What are you seeing? Has anything changed significantly over the last few months?

2:19 Almost nothing has changed. And if you pay attention to the mainstream media, you would think that uh approval for getting rid of people out of the country who are here illegally is falling off a cliff. That everybody wants ICE to be done, enforcing uh our own laws. And the reality is that still 60% of people want those who are here here illegally deported. And uh back in July we had 50% of people saying that they supported the efforts to um deport using ICE and do even do ICE raids. So that we use that exact language. And when we just asked it uh earlier this month, it was 48% support. I mean that if if that's a drop, it's a minor drop. I chalk it up to a margin of error.

3:06 So even after the shooting, we're still seeing the same resulting a 2% difference like you said within the margin of error,

3:12 right? And we fielded that survey right after the shooting happened. So it would have captured the height of the hysteria that the media is is pushing.

3:21 So what do you see in terms of political strategy? You offer a lot of insight on this for both parties, but particularly for the Trump administration. Do you believe that this aggressive strategy during this year, a midterm election year, that they should continue on with this? Is this really precarious for the Trump administration? Or do you feel like this is actually upholding promises that in the end is going to be effective for them? The Trump team has a lot of goodwill to use on this particular topic. It was a huge portion of the 2024 election and he has a mandate on the issue. One thing that the Trump administration does need to do is remind people why we are doing this. Uh we have seen illegal immigration and border security as a top issue just tank in the last several months really since Trump took office and that's because he's done a good job on it. So, as that fades from top priority with voters, it is

4:20 imperative for the Trump team to remind people how many pe folks came in illegally to this to this country, what those people were like, and what the benefits are of getting rid of them and making them go back to where they came because they broke our laws coming here.

4:34 So, actually keeping this in the headlines on one level at least is good for the Trump administration.

4:39 It is. Now, the the visuals that go along with it are challenging, and that is because the media only shows one visual. They're not showing everything. Uh they didn't show the four times that that woman in Minnesota broke the law, starting with parking her car in the middle of a street. That is illegal. Uh everything she did that day was illegal. She was breaking the law. And it fits within the narrative that we see in our polling. We saw this all the way back in October where we said, "Is it okay to go past and beyond peaceful protest when you see ICE rates happening?" That was the literal wording of the question. And 24% of Americans said yes. 70% said no.

5:18 Do not break the law when you don't like the law. Yeah. Overwhelming. However, there was a voter segment that stuck out and it was young liberal white women. what is the ideology, age, and gender of the person who was killed? And she went past peaceful protesting. Uh and and 61% of this age group said that it's okay to do this. Th this this demographic is drastically out of touch with the rest of the country.

5:46 Right. It's hard to miss that many times the people that are in the faces of ICE agents screaming at them are often women in these videos, not men. In terms of the different demographics, one of the big concerns for the Trump administration is Hispanics. Is Trump losing Hispanics or is that another false narrative?

6:04 He's not doing as well with Hispanics as he was during the election. And I think there's a couple factors to that. The number one being economic. Uh these voters who put Trump over the the line in 2024, they're not ideologically conservative. They're also not ideologically liberal. They really don't consider themselves political at all. And there's a large chunk of these voters, especially younger, non-oled educated in both Hispanic communities and black communities. And they saw Trump as a guy who was going to make this cultural decay and this crazy wokeism and rising inflation and the insanity at the border. All these things that they saw as degrading the fabric of the nation and also their ability to seek opportunity and succeed, they gave them a shot. Uh they also don't have a lot of patience. Uh and Republicans are very quick to forget that a lot of times when bases are changing, you're renting

6:58 voters. You're not even dating them. You're not married to them. Uh you rented them for one election. And uh it's going to be important for Republicans to go build relationships in these Hispanic communities for Trump to focus on things that they're saying matter to them. Uh because they didn't they didn't come our way permanently. I think they will, but they currently are not.

7:18 What about independence? Have you seen any movement from them? The challenge with independents are they me 80% of them are veiled partisans. So they have a red or a blue jersey on under that jacket. They just keep the jacket zipped up. Uh and who in those groups decides to pay attention and show up in elections is really what matters. It's not like there's this group of people in the middle who are truly moderate, truly independent, who decide uh whether they're going to vote red or blue in an election. Um that's a really small segment of people. So when you look at numbers of independents right now, the the blue jersey independents are the ones who are fired up. They hate Donald Trump. They're the ones who are definitely going to show up. and the red jerseyed independents are tuned out or they don't feel like Trump is achieving the things that that they wanted to see on the either cultural side or economic

8:12 side. Uh and so that's another false media narrative that there's this group of a third of Americans in the middle who truly look at both sides and make a decision. It doesn't work that way.

8:22 Now the economy which you brought up in the end it wins and loses basically every election almost always. There are some encouraging economic indicators for the Trump administration. We've had really surprising GDP numbers. Fourth quarter is looking like it's going to be very good in terms of the data that's coming out. Inflation has cooled. Uh it keeps beating projections by economists every single time. We do see mortgage rates coming down, lower gas prices, but there is a sense that things are still far more expensive than they were a few years ago. A lot of people still feel very much under the gun there. Do you think in terms of the way the economy is playing out this year that it's going to help or hinder Republicans?

9:02 Well, if they go through a laundry list of bullet points of statistics like you just did, we lose even if all those numbers are really good. And when it comes to the economy, the perception is what matters, not the reality. Uh, and voters are looking for somebody to understand a person like them. They're looking for empathy. Every conversation a Republican or the Trump administration has with the media when they're talking to people through that camera or through that microphone needs to start with empathizing with the challenge that people are feeling. Explain what has been done, why it's been done, and not say mortgage rates have dropped. I've solved the problem. Not say eggs are down 20%, I've solved the problem. But say this is a small piece and there's a whole lot of other pieces to go. voters will give patience if you address their perceptions of it.

9:52 Now, as to fraud, and this is the final question here, the fraud that's been exposed in Minnesota and now several other states is broadening and broadening. The depth is actually quite shocking. It's hard to believe some of the numbers we're hearing, $9 billion in Minnesota. California is now under the microscope from the Trump administration. This does tie to economic concerns as it's wasted taxpayer dollars. Is that issue fraud going to move the needle at all in either direction for the midterms?

10:21 Like all the issues that we've discussed, you have to put the Democrats on the defensive for it. Make them be the party who is okay with fraud. Make them be the party who is okay with keeping illegals here. Make them the party of you just continue this. So when it comes to fraud, waste, and abuse, every American, regardless of political stripe outside of maybe some liberals who benefit from it, believe that the government is corrupt and that it is fraudulent and it is wasteful. That is a a pervas pervasive belief. And so to see these examples coming out of Minnesota, these egregious examples, that's a real opportunity for Republicans to come in and show, look, these people are benefiting. You're getting nothing from your government. Uh when I do focus groups with folks and and we have people of varying economic stripes in the group uh especially if they're right leaning, it's really amazing how fast the

11:14 conversation goes that direction and they believe that there's this huge safety net for people at the very bottom of the economic ladder and that people at the top of the economic ladder benefit greatly and that everybody stuck in the middle gets nothing. And so this is a really good issue example to go in and say, "Look, those Democrats at the top are giving all this money to these folks over here. You're getting none of it. You're paying for it actually. So not only are you not benefiting from it, you are funding this. And that is what we're going to go stop. And here's an example of of how we're stopping it.

11:45 It's it's a very powerful narrative if we can keep the drum beat going, but mainstream media is not going to cover it because uh it doesn't help who they all support,

11:54 right? And we've looked at the legacy media and their coverage of this issue. And again, maybe not so shocking revelations about how little air time is spent to this. So the Trump administration has an uphill battle indeed. Brent, thank you so much for coming on. Appreciate it, John.

12:09 That was Brent Buchanan, founder of Signal Polling, and this has been a weekend edition of Morning Wire.

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "Legacy Media Claims America’s Turned on ICE. The Polling Says Otherwise"?

John Bickley (Host), Brent Buchanan (Guest), Georgia How (Host).

What is "Legacy Media Claims America’s Turned on ICE. The Polling Says Otherwise" about?

The recent violence in Minnesota following the shooting of Renee Good has ignited a contentious debate over public sentiment regarding law enforcement and immigration enforcement, with legacy media claiming widespread support for Democrats while the Trump administration believes it has backing from the public. Brent Buchanan of Signal Polling argues that the media's portrayal misrepresents the…

What is mentioned in this Morning Wire episode?

4 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Brent Buchanan, John Bickley, Signal Polling. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Legacy Media Claims America’s Turned on ICE. The Polling Says Otherwise"?

The episode runs 12 min; the transcript is about 2,319 words in 25 timestamped sections.

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