Trump's Minnesota de-escalation lasts less than 48 hours
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President Trump before departing from the South Lawn of the White House on Jan. 20. Photo: Samuel Corum/Getty Images
President Trump renewed his verbal attacks on Minnesota officials over the last 24 hours, jeopardizing attempts to de-escalate tensions between his administration and the state's leaders.
Why it matters: The White House's attempt to turn down the temperature in Minnesota after two fatal shootings by federal agents seems to have been short-lived.
Driving the news: Trump wrote on Truth Social Wednesday morning that Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey was "PLAYING WITH FIRE!" after Frey said that his city does not enforce federal immigration law.
- Frey replied, saying he wants police protecting residents, not "hunting down a working dad."
Zoom out: On Tuesday, Trump again targeted Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) during a speech in Iowa.
- Later that day, Omar was rushed by a man and sprayed with an unknown liquid at a town hall.
- In the aftermath, Trump claimed without evidence she staged the incident in a phone interview with ABC News.
What they're saying: Asked for comment on the apparent pivot, the White House referred Axios to press secretary Karoline Leavitt's Monday comments that "nobody in the White House, including President Trump, wants to see people getting hurt or killed in America's streets."
- She placed blame on local leaders, saying, "Let's be clear ... This tragedy occurred as a result of a deliberate and hostile resistance by Democrat leaders in Minnesota."
Catch up quick: The Twin Cities are a tinderbox after Trump's unprecedented surge of federal agents to the state was met with fierce opposition and turned deadly.
- After federal agents shot and killed Alex Pretti last weekend, the White House faced a bipartisan backlash. In response, it announced some changes to the federal operation and made a public show of reaching out to Minnesota leaders in a purported attempt to lower tensions.
- Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino and some federal agents reportedly began departing Minnesota this week, according to local leaders and multiple reports. Border czar Tom Homan is now overseeing operations.
- Homan is likely to emphasize more targeted enforcement efforts with fewer confrontational tactics, Axios' Marc Caputo and Brittany Gibson report.
Yes, but: Tensions are still running high.
- Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) said in a MeidasTouch appearance that he was "skeptically optimistic" about the path forward after Homan connected with him. But he said there had not been progress beyond "a change of tone."
- Walz also didn't hold back, saying that Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem "should go back to South Dakota, not have any dogs, and just kind of ride things out."
- Noem, who is facing mounting calls to resign from Congressional Republicans, infamously wrote about killing an "untrainable" dog.
The bottom line: Trump is still in attack mode, and the federal crackdown hasn't stopped.
Go deeper: The Trump officials in hot water over Minnesota crisis
Editor's note: This story was updated with a response from the White House.
