If you ask me introduces an opinion nobody actually asked for. If you ask me, the whole thing was a mistake.
The joke is built in, since the speaker is about to give the opinion either way. It sits at the front of the sentence and gives what follows a confiding tone.
1phraseif you ask meIntroducing an opinion nobody actually asked for.
“If you ask me, they knew all along.”
if you ask me is a phrase.
Practised in Small Talk & Everyday Phrases