Trump vows to work together with Walz after ‘good call’

US President Donald Trump said he had a good meeting with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and that the two want to work together to improve the situation in Minnesota; It sparked a violent backlash in the state after a second U.S. citizen was fatally shot by immigration agents.

“This was a very good meeting and we actually seemed to be on a similar wavelength,” Trump said in a social media post.

“The crime rate is way down, but both Governor Walz and I want to make it better!”

Trump’s comments may indicate that pressure on immigrants in the state is easing.

pic.twitter.com/TpRlU7QxUP— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 26, 2026

Walz and other Democratic leaders have fiercely opposed the anti-immigrant surge, calling it a lawless invasion that risks public safety.

Trump, for his part, has spent the past month accusing Walz of failing to stop the state’s welfare fraud scandal.

Walz did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trump had previously said he would send White House border czar Tom Homan to work with local officials after 37-year-old nurse Alex Pretti was shot by immigration agents during a clash with protesters in Minneapolis on Saturday.

While other senior administration officials called Pretti a “domestic terrorist,” Homan did not speak publicly about the incident.

Trump said in a statement that Homan was “not involved” in the crackdown in Minnesota but “knew and loved many people there.”

Trump’s comments came as state officials pressured a US judge to temporarily halt the deployment of 3,000 immigration officers.

“This administration, Your Honor, is not content with the rule of law. They are not content to let the courts handle these matters. Instead, they are using violence on the streets of Minnesota to get their way,” attorney Brian Carter of the state attorney’s office told U.S. Magistrate Katherine Menendez.

Menendez, an appointee of former Democratic president Joe Biden, was skeptical of his claim that he had the authority to halt the operation on the grounds that it violated state sovereignty.

“I don’t know how you want me to determine when the federal government has crossed the line,” he told Carter.

Menendez asked the Trump administration lawyer whether the federal government was trying to force the state to change its immigration policies by sending thousands of agents to Minneapolis.

“Is the executive trying to achieve a goal that it cannot reach through the courts, by using force?” Menendez asked federal U.S. attorney Brantley Mayers. ‌

Mayers answered no, saying the administration was there to enforce federal immigration law.

Menendez ended the hearing after nearly three hours of discussion.

He did not say when he would come to power.

The influx of agents spurred mass street protests in sub-freezing temperatures and fierce condemnations from Democratic leaders in the state.

60 of the state’s largest companies, including Target, 3M, UnitedHealth and U.S. Bancorp, called Sunday for an immediate de-escalation of tensions between the state and the president’s administration.

Chris Madel, a leading Republican candidate, withdrew his bid Monday, saying the pressure had gone too far and made the race unwinnable for a Republican.

“I cannot support the revenge that National Republicans have declared against the citizens of our state, and I cannot see myself as a member of a party that would do so,” he said in a video statement.

Department of Homeland Security officials described the incident as an attack by Pretti and said the agents opened fire in self-defense after Pretti approached them with a gun.

However, video from the scene verified by Reuters appears to contradict this explanation.

​In the footage, Pretti is seen holding a phone, not a gun, as agents pin him to the ground.

Officers are also seen removing the firearm found near Pretti’s waistband after subduing him, moments before fatally shooting Pretti.

Pretti was a licensed gun owner.

Trump told the Wall Street Journal on Sunday that his administration was “reviewing everything” regarding the incident and that immigration officials would eventually stand down.

A recent Reuters poll shows that a significant share of Trump’s Republican supporters (39 percent) are wary of this heavy-handed approach, saying the harm should be minimized even if it means fewer immigration arrests.