Trump Sends Border Czar to Minnesota as He Doubles Down After Shooting
Donald Trump is doubling down in Minnesota following the murder of nurse Alex Pretti by Border Patrol agents on Saturday by sending his immigration czar to the state.
In a Truth Social post Monday morning, Trump announced that he is sending Tom Homan to the state “tonight,” calling him “tough but fair” and saying he “will report directly to me.” The president made no mention of Pretti’s death, and instead repeated exaggerated claims of fraud in the state and attacked Representative Ilhan Omar.
Trump’s other Truth Social posts from the weekend refused to take responsibility for the shooting, or accept any wrongdoing from federal agents in Minnesota. He fueled right-wing talking points about Pretti’s gun (he was a licensed gun owner and was disarmed before he was shot), and posted a lengthy screed calling on Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, “and EVERY Democrat Governor and Mayor in the United States of America to formally cooperate with the Trump Administration to enforce our Nation’s Laws, rather than resist and stoke the flames of Division, Chaos, and Violence.”
He refused to take any responsibility for the escalating violence from federal agents, or the reports of racism and targeting of children in Minneapolis. Meanwhile, officials in Trump’s own Department of Homeland Security are growing frustrated with the lies coming from the Trump administration, and members of the president’s own party are beginning to speak out. Cooler heads aren’t prevailing. Hopefully, no more lives will be lost before things cool down, but there’s no telling when that will be.
This story has been updated.