The White House is not buying the sudden calls for calm coming from Minnesota Democrats. On Thursday, officials firmly pushed back after Gov. Tim Walz made what he called a “direct appeal” to President Donald Trump, urging him to “turn the temperature down” amid unrest in Minneapolis following multiple ICE-involved shootings.
Walz’s message, posted on X, asked Trump to “Stop this campaign of retribution,” adding, “This is not who we are.” That appeal came only after demonstrations erupted in the streets following a second shooting involving U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in recent days. Convenient timing, to say the least.
The White House response was blunt. Spokesperson Abigail Jackson told Fox News that Walz, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, and other Democrat leaders in the state have done “nothing but turn up the temperature, smear heroic ICE officers, and incite violence against them — all in defense of criminal illegal aliens.”
Jackson emphasized that ICE has arrested rapists, drug traffickers, domestic abusers, and other dangerous criminals in Minnesota, despite opposition from Democrats. She made it clear that the Trump administration has no intention of backing down. “The Trump Administration will protect the American people and enforce the law without apology,” she said, adding that the only statement Walz should be making is an apology for his repeated attacks on ICE. According to Jackson, Walz has compared ICE officers to Nazis and lied about their work, including in a speech just the night before.
The White House Rapid Response team also weighed in on X, sharply criticizing the governor for calling on people to record ICE agents and build what Walz described as a database of “atrocities” for potential future prosecution. The account pointed out that Walz had given a statewide address encouraging this behavior and suggested he might want to “sit this one out” before lecturing others about tone.
President Trump, meanwhile, left no doubt about where he stands. On Thursday, he warned that if Minnesota officials fail to enforce the law and stop attacks on federal agents, he would invoke the Insurrection Act. In a Truth Social post, Trump blasted “corrupt politicians” in the state and vowed to protect ICE agents, whom he described as patriots simply doing their jobs. He promised to quickly put an end to what he called a “travesty” in a once-great state.
The Insurrection Act, an 1807 law last used during the 1992 Los Angeles riots, allows the president to deploy the military to suppress rebellions and enforce federal law. If invoked, it would authorize Trump to federalize the National Guard and deploy active-duty forces to restore order, temporarily overriding restrictions that normally limit military involvement in domestic law enforcement.
The contrast couldn’t be clearer: Minnesota Democrats are asking for cooler rhetoric after weeks of inflammatory language and actions, while President Trump is focused on restoring order, defending federal agents, and enforcing the law. And in times of unrest, that kind of decisive leadership remains a reassuring sign that public safety still comes first.
