Trump softens his language as Minneapolis deaths ignite national backlash

Trump softens his language as Minneapolis deaths ignite national backlash

After weeks of defiance and hardline rhetoric, President Donald Trump struck an unexpectedly measured tone on Monday as Minneapolis emerged as the epicentre of a growing national crisis over immigration enforcement.

The shift came amid public fury following the second killing of a US citizen protesting militarised immigration raids, footage of which spread rapidly online and reignited protests across the country.

A city pushed to breaking point

Minneapolis has been under intense strain since early January, when Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was shot and killed by an ICE agent during a protest. Despite freezing temperatures, thousands gathered in the streets days later, refusing to be silenced.

That anger deepened over the weekend when Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care unit nurse, was shot dead at close range while protesting. Like Good, Pretti was a US citizen, a detail that has fuelled public outrage and sharpened scrutiny of federal enforcement tactics.

Videos of the shooting spread within hours, drawing condemnation not only from activists but from former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, and more unusually, from figures within Trump’s own Republican Party.

White House scrambles as pressure mounts

In response, Trump dispatched Tom Homan, his top border enforcement official, to Minneapolis, announcing that Homan would now “report directly” to him a move widely seen as an attempt to contain political fallout.

Trump also made conciliatory calls to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, both Democrats he has previously attacked. Frey later said the president agreed that “the present situation can’t continue” and confirmed that some federal agents would begin leaving the city, though details remain unclear.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt insisted that the administration does not want to see people harmed, expressing sorrow over Pretti’s death a sharp contrast to earlier statements from senior officials who had labelled him a “domestic terrorist.”

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison pushed back forcefully, accusing the administration of promoting a “flat-out insane” narrative to justify the violence.

No retreat on policy just the tone

Despite the softer messaging, there is little indication Trump plans to abandon his aggressive immigration strategy. The administration continues to defend the deployment of heavily armed, masked ICE agents into Democratic-run cities, arguing that “hundreds of thousands” of undocumented immigrants still need to be deported.

The approach was central to Trump’s successful 2024 election campaign, but polling now shows majority public disapproval, driven in part by daily viral footage of raids and reports of people being targeted on thin evidence.

The situation has become politically volatile even by Trump-era standards.

Legal battles and political cracks

On Monday, a federal judge in Minneapolis heard arguments on whether the deployment of federal officers violates Minnesota’s state sovereignty, while a separate court considered an urgent request to preserve evidence related to Pretti’s killing.

In Congress, Democrats are threatening to block government funding unless immigration agencies are reformed, raising the spectre of a federal shutdown.

More striking, however, is the growing unease within Republican ranks. Senior figures such as House Oversight Committee chair James Comer and Texas Governor Greg Abbott have publicly voiced concern a rarity in a party known for closing ranks.

The shock moment came when Republican Chris Madel withdrew from the race to replace Walz as Minnesota’s governor, saying he could not remain part of a party inflicting “retribution on the citizens of our state.”

Minneapolis as a national warning

For many Americans, Minneapolis has become more than a protest site, it’s a warning sign. The deaths of two citizens, both killed at close range while exercising their right to protest, have transformed a policy debate into a moral reckoning.

Trump may have changed his tone, but on the streets of Minneapolis and across the country, the demand is no longer for softer words, but for accountability and change.