'Deflection': Ex-GOP Rep. says Trump is trying to distract from 'volatile' and 'tumbling' economy

Former Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Penn.) said Wednesday President Donald Trump "would like nothing more than" talking about the deportation of a Maryland man to El Salvador and the issue of illegal immigration "ad nauseam" because it's "a great deflection from the issues that are really driving a lot of people in this country crazy right now."

"I tend to think that Donald Trump would like nothing more than to talk about this issue ad nauseam, about whether or not a person who entered the United States unlawfully should be returned from his native country," Dent told CNN's Audie Cornish.

He said the Trump administration was "setting aside all the facts in the court orders."

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"I think he's doing it because he'd rather be talking about this than the stock market tumbling, the bond market being volatile," the former GOP lawmaker said, adding that farmers are unable to find export markets for their their product and consumers are worried about the price of everything from cars to to sneakers.

"So I think this is a great deflection from the issues that are really driving a lot of people in this country crazy right now," he said.

Host Audie Cornish noted immigration policy is an issue where the Republican Party still polls well.

Many commentators have expressed similar views about the Trump administration's handling of the Maryland man's deportation.

"It's pretty clear the White House would rather talk about this than the tariffs and the economy," said political commentator Nate Silver on the social platform X Tuesday while reacting to Vice President JD Vance's statement that "the entire American media and left wing industrial complex" has decided this is the most important issue.

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Trump's refusal to bring Kilmar Abrego García, who was wrongfully deported from Maryland to a notorious prison in El Salvador, back to the United States — despite a Supreme Court ruling — has raised serious concerns among political observers. Some analysts say such an unchecked use of the Alien Enemies Act is unprecedented.

In a report published in the New York Times Tuesday, reporters noted that even during World War II, there was "a check" on the government and individuals who received a hearing under the civilian boards were mostly freed.

The report quoted Eric L. Muller, a professor at the University of North Carolina School of Law, who said this process was flawed but it still provided 'a check' on the government, adding the majority of people who obtained a hearing under the civilian boards were released.

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