Tim Walz finally blinked. After turning Minnesota into his anti-Trump circus—blocking federal agents and stoking confrontation—he appears to be ready to dial down the drama. He and President Trump spoke on the phone Monday about the situation in Minnesota, and both sides called it productive. Still, I can’t help but wonder what triggered this sudden flip-flop. With every incident that has occurred in recent weeks, Walz has doubled down on the rhetoric.
In the past few weeks, two anti-ICE agitators have been killed. The first was Renee Good, who, earlier this month, attempted to run over an ICE agent with her car. On Saturday, Alex Pretti engaged Border Patrol agents with a loaded gun and was fatally shot while resisting them. In the immediate aftermath, Walz has been quick to blame ICE and President Trump, while immediately declaring the guilt of federal law enforcement, whom he’s dubbed an occupying force and likened to the Gestapo.
“The Governor made the case that we need impartial investigations of the Minneapolis shootings involving federal agents, and that we need to reduce the number of federal agents in Minnesota,” Walz’s office said in a statement.
According to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, Trump laid out what he described as a clear and straightforward plan to restore law and order in Minnesota.
“It is President Trump's hope and wish, and demand, for the resistance and chaos to end today. That's why President Trump spoke with Governor Walz directly this morning, and he has outlined a clear and simple path to restoring law and order in Minnesota,” Leavitt said. “Number one, Governor Walz, Mayor Frey, and all Democrat leaders should turn over all criminal illegal aliens currently incarcerated in their prisons and jails to federal authorities, along with any illegal aliens with active warrants or known criminal histories, for immediate deportation. Number two, state and local law enforcement must agree to turn over all illegal aliens who are arrested by local police. And then thirdly, local police must assist federal law enforcement in apprehending and detaining illegal aliens who are wanted for crimes, especially violent crimes.”
ICYMI: If Alex Pretti Listened to His Parents, He’d Still Be Alive
Simple enough, right? Well, yeah, it is. And if Walz agreed to this, the only question I have is: why did it take two deaths for him to realize that stoking division and inflaming tensions wasn’t the right approach?
Leavitt continued, “If Governor Walz and Mayor Frey implement these common-sense cooperative measures, which I will add have already been implemented in nearly every single other state across the country, Customs and Border Patrol will not be needed to support ICE on the ground in Minnesota. ICE and local law enforcement can peacefully work together, as they are effectively doing in so many other states and jurisdictions.”
.@POTUS spoke with Gov Walz directly this morning and he has outlined a clear & simple path to restoring law and order in Minnesota.
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) January 26, 2026
1. All Democrat leaders should turn over all criminal illegal aliens currently incarcerated in their prisons & jails to federal authorities, along… pic.twitter.com/328ryPiXXx
So, why now? Could it have something to do with the fact that various elected Democrats in Minnesota, including members of the Walz administration, have been linked to the anti-ICE Signal chat group — one being Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan? Could it have something to do with the fraud investigation? Call me crazy, but I don’t think Walz had an epiphany that he’s been wrong this entire time.
