In a rare moment of unity,President Donald Trump and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz struck a surprisingly cooperative tone during a phone call Monday, marking a possible de-escalation after two controversial fatal shootings by federal agents ignited fury across Minneapolis.
Trump, posting on Truth Social, described the conversation as “very good” and noted that the Democratic governor had asked for collaboration. “We actually seemed to be on a similar wavelength,” Trump wrote — a striking departure from his recent sharp criticism of Walz.
Tim Walz bends the knee to President Trump. It was inevitable. pic.twitter.com/jJC9ZnjyDP
— johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) January 26, 2026
Just 48 hours earlier, Trump had slammed Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey as “sanctimonious political fools” and accused them of inciting “Insurrection” after the fatal shooting of ICU nurse Alex Pretti by federal agents. Tensions have only escalated since, with protests erupting and demands for accountability growing louder.
But Monday’s call suggests the storm may be shifting. Trump announced that border czar Tom Homan would be heading to Minnesota and said Walz welcomed the move. Trump also said he told Walz that federal teams are “focused on looking for any and all Criminals that they have in their possession.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt clarified that Minnesota is being asked to hand over criminal illegal immigrants currently incarcerated in the state. She emphasized that local and state officials are also expected to assist in ongoing federal enforcement efforts.
.@POTUS spoke with Gov Walz directly this morning and he has outlined a clear & simple path to restoring law and order in Minnesota.
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
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) January 26, 2026
“The Governor, very respectfully, understood that,” Trump added, and said he planned to speak with Walz again soon.
Walz’s office confirmed the call, labeling it “productive,” and said the president agreed to ensure independent investigations into the shootings. Walz also said Trump was open to reviewing the number of federal agents operating in the state and pledged more coordination moving forward.
Still, the thaw in tone doesn’t erase the clear tension. In a Monday Wall Street Journal op-ed, Walz forcefully rejected White House claims that the state hasn’t cooperated with immigration enforcement. “There is not a single documented case” of Minnesota releasing a non-citizen from prison without alerting ICE, he wrote.
The shifting dynamic between Trump and Walz is a sharp contrast to the weekend’s bitter rhetoric. On Sunday, Walz blasted Trump in a fiery press conference, asking, “What’s the plan, Donald Trump?” and warning that if the goal was to sow chaos, “you clearly underestimated the people of this state and nation.”
President Trump just issued the most righteous, no-nonsense ultimatum I’ve seen yet…calling out every treasonous Democrat governor and mayor by name, starting with Walz and Frey, to stop shielding criminal illegal aliens and start enforcing the damn law.
He is 100% correct on… pic.twitter.com/SQ2Tuk7LvC
— LHGrey™️ (@grey4626) January 25, 2026
That public rebuke came just one day after Pretti’s death — the second federal-involved killing in Minnesota in less than a month. Trump’s administration has come under fire from all sides, including conservatives like former Rep. Trey Gowdy, who said on Fox News, “There is no evidence to support” the claim that Pretti intended to massacre police.
As the administration faces mounting scrutiny over the shootings and its rapid rollout of federal agents, Monday’s call may represent a brief pause in an otherwise volatile political powder keg.
Whether this cooperation holds — or is just a political ceasefire — remains to be seen.
