The Gist Not Even Mad: Ruy Teixeira and Jesse Adams
Jan 29, 2026
Ruy Teixeira, senior fellow and political analyst of party coalitions and immigration. Jesse Adams, writer at The Ivy Exile on politics and culture. They debate whether Minnesota’s ICE actions were deliberate theater or policy failure. They unpack Trump’s Greenland remarks as bluster versus leverage on NATO. Quick asides hit sports money, TV ads, and pop-culture oddities.
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Interior Enforcement Is The Hard Part
- Interior enforcement, not border closures, is the hard policy problem that created today's conflict in Minnesota.
- Ruy Teixeira argues Trump's unleashing of interior enforcement made excesses predictable and politically costly.
Cruelty As Deterrence Theater
- Jesse Adams sees some cruelty as inevitable to create a credible threat of deportation.
- He says the cruelty often functions as theater aimed at deterring migrants abroad rather than pure sadism.
Public Wants Enforcement But Not Excess
- Public opinion is conflicted: most support interior enforcement but many think ICE has been too forceful.
- Teixeira warns the administration's tactics have eroded consensus and made policy harder to implement.