Trump reportedly favors ‘gruesome’ ICE images to divert attention from Epstein files, ex-aide says

WASHINGTON, DC: A former adviser to Donald Trump has claimed that the president tolerates graphic images from aggressive immigration enforcement because they help divert media attention from the Jeffrey Epstein files.

The comments came during a discussion on MSNBC’s 'Morning Joe' on Thursday, where co-host Joe Scarborough spoke with branding expert Donny Deutsch and former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci about the fallout from the administration’s hardline immigration policies.

Anthony Scaramucci reveals Trump's priority

During the discussion, Deutsch highlighted a growing number of videos and photos showing ICE agents conducting arrests in ways critics call excessively harsh. Footage reportedly includes small children being used to draw parents out of their homes, women being pulled from cars and agents forcing entering residences.

“It kind of, if your stomach doesn’t hurt when you see what’s going on there, you’ve got to kind of do a stomach check,” Deutsch said.

“Because it’s just wrong. There’s right, there’s wrong, there’s humane, there’s inhumane. It’s just not who we are.”

Deutsch argued that such imagery has contributed to Trump’s declining poll numbers, as voters react negatively to what they perceive as inhumane enforcement tactics.

Scarborough then turned to Scaramucci, who served briefly in the Trump administration and has known the president for decades, asking whether Trump is aware of the damage his inner circle is causing to the administration’s prospects in the coming years.

“To me, I do think it’s a distraction,” Scaramucci responded.

Scaramucci said that while attending the World Economic Forum earlier this week, he observed how various controversies surrounding the administration seemed to be interconnected.

“I do think the Greenland thing is a distraction, and I think it really all does come down to the Epstein files,” he said.

He added that the Epstein matter could carry serious implications, noting, “And remember, there could be immigration issues for the president’s family inside the Epstein files, among other things.”

‘Trust me, he likes the gruesome pictures’

Scaramucci went on to explain why, in his view, Trump does not object to the circulation of disturbing images tied to immigration enforcement.

“So all of this stuff is tied together,” he said.

According to Scaramucci, Trump may publicly claim discomfort with the optics of the raids but privately sees their media impact as useful.

“And even if the president, you know, when he’s talking to you or a CEO somewhere is saying he doesn’t like the gruesome pictures,” Scaramucci said, “trust me, he likes the gruesome pictures because the gruesome pictures keeps the Epstein files away from the front and center of the mainstream media.”

'Brutal' images dominate news 

The remarks come amid growing scrutiny of DHS operations across multiple states, with immigration enforcement actions increasingly spark protests, legal challenges and criticism from advocacy groups and local officials. 

Earlier, Border Patrol commissioner and ICE agents were refused service at gas station. DHS even claimed that ICE agents are being harassed during bathroom breaks.

ICE and DHS officials have so far defended their operations as lawful and necessary, while critics argue that the tactics being used are designed to intimidate immigrant communities and provoke public reaction.