Struggling to contain the fallout from his administration’s deadly actions in Minneapolis, President Trump changed tactics Monday by dispatching his border chief to oversee the immigration enforcement operation and backing off his attacks on Minnesota’s governor.
The sudden change in the president’s posture and tone underscored how his administration has failed to quell the growing outcry against the crackdown in Minnesota in which federal agents have killed two American citizens. The tactics used by immigration enforcement agents have sparked widespread outrage among the public and bipartisan pushback on Capitol Hill, risking another government shutdown.
In his latest pivot, Mr. Trump moved from castigating Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota as a cause of the violence in Minneapolis and declaring that, in a call, he and the governor “seemed to be on a similar wavelength.”
Mr. Trump said on social media that Mr. Walz was “happy that Tom Homan was going to Minnesota,” referring to the president’s adviser on immigration issues, whom Mr. Trump announced earlier in the day would be his personal representative overseeing ICE operations in the state.
It was a sharp contrast from his weekend pronunciations, in which the president blamed Mr. Walz and other Minnesota Democrats for the shooting death of Alex Pretti on Saturday, which echoed his comments after the fatal shooting by federal agents of a Minneapolis woman, Renee Good, earlier this month.
As he hailed operations in Washington and other cities as a “tremendous success,” Mr. Trump said crime in Minnesota was “way down.” He added, “both Governor Walz and I want to make it better.”
In a statement, Mr. Walz’s office described the call as “productive” — and said the two men had discussed broader issues that have been at the center of the state’s complaints about the crackdown.
According to the governor’s office, Mr. Walz told Mr. Trump that impartial investigations were needed into the two killings, and called for a reduction in the number of federal agents in Minnesota. Mr. Trump agreed to ensure a fair investigation and to look into reducing the number of agents, the governor’s office said.
Ernesto Londoño contributed reporting.
Luke Broadwater covers the White House for The Times.
The post Trump Pivots From Attacks on Walz After Call appeared first on New York Times.
