Chris Ruddy, CEO of the conservative Newsmax media company, said the recent sharp decline in illegal immigrants crossing the border may eliminate the need for a physical “wall” that was promised by President Trump.

In an op-ed published Thursday by the New York Times, Ruddy, a Trump confidante, said that the president’s hardline rhetoric in some policy areas may have shaken Democrats and some moderates of both parties, but that it has often rendered positive results.