Conservative CNN contributor Rick Santorum admitted on Sunday that Donald Trump had made a "concession" by reopening the government -- less than a second after he claimed that the president had not made any concessions "whatsoever."

During a panel discussion on CNN's State of the Union program, host Jake Tapper pointed out that Trump has denied that reopening the government is a "concession" to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).

"I don’t think it’s a concession whatsoever," Santorum opined, before quickly adding, "I mean, it is a concession, but it’s not a cave."

"It’s a concession to say, 'Okay, I’ll accept your terms that you wanted in order for us to get a deal. Now let’s see whether you can get a deal,'" he added.