As the retribution tour hits the road in cities such as Chicago and Portland, tensions are increasing between Democrats and Republicans. The question must be asked: “Is all this necessary?” as well as the use of National Guard personnel, which is an unnecessary strain on the military.

Soldiers are not police officers, and this places them in a vulnerable position. And of course, the role of ICE in all this places the military in a dicey situation due to the public reaction.

Now the Trump administration has a point in arguing that open borders made all this necessary. Moreover, sanctuary cities undermine the government’s ability to address the problem of illegal immigration.

However, the administration, instead of being cool and efficient, resorts to hot rhetoric and gaudy raids. Additionally, Trump’s subordinates, such as Kristi Noem, Tom Homan, and Stephen Miller, engage in gruff rhetoric and flashy theatrics; perhaps this is why their immigration policies, once very popular, have receded into either neutral or unpopular territory.

Indeed, President Trump, with his gift for overstatement, has not helped his cause by declaring that Portland was somehow an inferno when it is not. Even a judge Trump appointed did not rule in his favor. He has managed to turn an issue that he controlled into a liability.

A penchant for overstatement only obscures Trump’s arguments for a managed border–no more references to Alligator Alcatraz in the Everglades or raids that imprison nationalized citizens. Former President Barack Obama deported many illegals, but people scarcely noticed.

Trump, if he would dial things down a bit, could reassert control over the border issue.

Kristi Noem, with her talent for creative costuming, might be better served by simply doing the job with a little less flamboyance.

Even Trump’s often correct observation that crime is high in Chicago goes unnoticed because he makes it personal. Portland, which appeared ungovernable a few years ago, is no longer in the same shape.

Again, Trump and hyperbole often undermine sound reasons to address crime or illegal Immigrants. He is theatrical at a time when all he has to do is tell the truth. Instead, he unnecessarily stretches credulity. The time for launching every initiative with a threat should be discarded in favor of a reasoned argument.

To turn down the temperature might actually help Trump to win public support. The drama only serves to obscure the administration’s valid points, which in turn gives Democrats a pass. Every day that passes with an ugly incident or highly inflammatory rhetoric places Trump in a bad light; perhaps he should explain that the United States has a right to control its frontiers or its need to reduce the deficit. But all this is impossible with Trump and his coworkers creating a fog that damages their ability to reach the American people.