"He always wants to weigh in at the moment he can be most effective to what is the longer, larger strategic goal here," Pfeiffer said.
He suspected that if Obama thought his speaking out would "make an actual difference in reuniting these children with their parents, he would absolutely do it."
"If it was just for the purpose of just making himself better, or making his supporters feel better with no actual impact, then it wouldn't make sense," Pfeiffer added.