{"id":2554053,"date":"2026-01-27T10:49:02","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T15:49:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-trump-lost-the-info-war-in-minneapolis\/"},"modified":"2026-01-27T10:53:35","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T15:53:35","slug":"how-trump-lost-the-info-war-in-minneapolis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-trump-lost-the-info-war-in-minneapolis\/","title":{"rendered":"How Trump lost the info war in Minneapolis"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fhow-trump-lost-the-info-war-in-minneapolis%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2554053&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Overview: The Washington Secrets piece explains how a hard-line immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis became a public-relations disaster for the Trump administration after a protester, Alex Pretti, was fatally shot. What began as a presentation of the administration\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >border-policy muscle quickly turned<\/a> into an \u201cinfo war\u201d the government could not win, prompting a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/washingtons-echo-america-and-europe-at-a-crossroads-once-more\/\" title=\"...&#039;s echo: America and Europe at a crossroads once more\">rapid de-escalation<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Key events and responses: The shooting intensified public scrutiny and drew criticism from across the political spectrum, including Second Amendment groups as Pretti had a handgun. Senior aides like Stephen Miller and DHS figures such as Kristi Noem pushed aggressive rhetoric, but television coverage and visible street chaos undermined the administration\u2019s messaging. Facing growing backlash, the White House reassigned officers (including Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino), announced reviews, and shifted tactics.<\/p>\n<p>Trump\u2019s course change: President Trump declined to promptly defend the officer involved and instead said the incident would be reviewed.He spoke with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, agreed to send veteran immigration enforcer Tom Homan to oversee the operation, and moved to tamp down tensions\u2014actions meant to mollify congressional Republicans and conservative media while defusing a politically toxic news cycle.<\/p>\n<p>Political fallout and next steps: The pivot split the MAGA movement\u2014hardliners like Steve Bannon denounced de-escalation\u2014while administration \u201ccooler heads\u201d judged the situation unwinnable in the media. Homan\u2019s immediate <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-envoy-meets-with-maduro-to-discuss-deportations-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Trump envoy meets with Maduro to discuss deportations- ... Examiner\">mission includes negotiating<\/a> with local leaders and seeking access to Minnesota jails and prisons to locate inmates wanted for deportation.<\/p>\n<p>Other items: The newsletter also recounts a raucous Washington lunch among insiders and recommends a few reads on media figures and celebrity fallout, alongside the usual author contact and subscription notes.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">How Trump lost the info war in Minneapolis<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2485657\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><strong><em>Welcome back to Washington Secrets<\/em>. <em>Your lunchtime reading today includes the inside story of why Donald Trump backed down in Minneapolis and the lurid details of a former governor&rsquo;s lunchtime conversation.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Donald Trump&rsquo;s<\/a> <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/section\/policy\/immigration\/\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/this-is-all-political-desantis-slams-biden-for-allegedly-allowing-illegal-aliens-into-u-s-without-covid-test-while-considering-domestic-travel-restrictions\/\" title=\"\u2018This Is All Political\u2019: DeSantis Slams Biden For Allegedly Allo...g Illegal Aliens Into U.S. Without COVID Test While Considering Domestic Travel Restrictions\">border policy<\/a><\/a> has been one of the greatest successes of his first year back in power.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/washington-secrets\/4433328\/marco-rubio-secret-weapon-2\/\">Marco Rubio&#8217;s &#8216;secret weapon&#8217;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/washington-secrets\/4431278\/white-house-report-card-foreign-successes-saber-rattling-greenland\/\">White House report card: Foreign successes and saber-rattling over Greenland<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/washington-secrets\/4429008\/anti-abortion-activists-train-arrest\/\">So you want to be arrested? Anti-abortion activists are training for it<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>But by Monday morning, senior figures knew that the means were in danger of overshadowing the ends.<\/p>\n<p>Chaos on the streets of Minneapolis, where a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/immigration\/4432691\/what-to-know-fatal-shooting-border-patrol-minnesota\/\">protester was shot dead Saturday,<\/a> was only adding to recent polls that showed people were in favor of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/what-are-the-odds-how-the-differences-between-trump-and-bidens-border-rhetoric-took-immigration-from-calm-to-crisis\/\" title=\"What Are The Odds? How The Differences Between Trump And Biden\u2019s Border Rhetoric Took Immigration From Calm To Crisis\">border crackdown<\/a> but wary of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and their tactics.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The government is on the losing end of the info war, and that&rsquo;s never a good place to be,&rdquo; a senior administration official told Secrets.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s hard to keep the two sides separated. And when there are clashes like we are seeing, then it is the government that comes off worst.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>That analysis was at the core of what came next. The White House backed down, reassigning officers, including Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/magazine\/2026\/01\/24\/the-problem-with-greg-bovinos-overcoat-isnt-what-you-think-00745516?nname=playbook&amp;nid=0000014f-1646-d88f-a1cf-5f46b7bd0000&amp;nrid=00000169-b046-d7df-a97f-ff7e0ec30000\">his great coat<\/a>, and moving to take the heat out of a growing crisis.<\/p>\n<p>The fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse, triggered a public backlash, rumblings among senior Republicans, and a fresh spotlight on the administration&rsquo;s hard-line stance on immigration.<\/p>\n<p>Complicating matters was the fact that Pretti was carrying a handgun, bringing in Second Amendment groups usually sympathetic to Trump.<\/p>\n<p>None of that mattered to Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff for policy, who labeled the dead man &ldquo;an assassin,&rdquo; accusing him of trying to &ldquo;murder federal agents.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Homeland Security Secretary <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/kristi-noem\/\">Kristi Noem<\/a> said he bore the hallmarks of &ldquo;domestic terrorism.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The familiar deny-and-attack playbook, however, was out of step with what the public could see with its own eyes on every TV channel.<\/p>\n<p>The first hint of a shift came from the president himself, often the best diviner of public sentiment.<\/p>\n<p>In an interview with the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/politics\/policy\/trump-says-administration-is-reviewing-everything-about-minneapolis-shooting-a501f48e?gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=AWEtsqe_f9E3f2cN-h1Z5y2CS19w5IlAKExaq-59pZbg4KgDOOMx2pckjrmLpwY4tXI%3D&amp;gaa_ts=6978d5ba&amp;gaa_sig=sjJVbvL6cfy-LzhuhNhcTEhQDxuccgVOIBC8vku5KG_fpKqy143kWrJ-9KJQn22hNgxU0x17lV5-xNKItLF9fg%3D%3D\"><em>Wall Street Journal<\/em><\/a>  on Sunday evening, Trump would not be drawn on whether the officer who killed Pretti had done the right thing.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, he said, &ldquo;We&rsquo;re reviewing everything and will come out with a determination.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Then came the de-escalation.<\/p>\n<p>On Monday morning, Trump spoke with Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), someone he had previously blamed for inciting street clashes.<\/p>\n<p>He backed off the attacks and instead agreed to send Tom Homan to oversee the immigration enforcement operation.<\/p>\n<p>Had he been watching <em>Fox &amp; Friends<\/em>? Three times, host <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2026\/01\/26\/media\/fox-news-trump-ice-homan-minneapolis-noem-kilmeade\">Brian Kilmeade had floated the idea<\/a> of sending the no-nonsense border czar to Minnesota to calm things down.<\/p>\n<p>The truth was dawning. When Fox News, gun groups, and liberal protesters are against you, then there is no way out except backward.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Chaos on the streets is good for no one,&rdquo; an adviser said, &ldquo;not least a president elected to improve security.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>It was left to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/karoline-leavitt\/\">Karoline Leavitt<\/a>, his press secretary, to put a gloss on the whole thing during a White House briefing.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The president has said, you know, we have to review it and &hellip; this investigation needs to continue, and he&rsquo;s letting the facts on the investigation lead itself,&rdquo; she said.<\/p>\n<p>There aren&rsquo;t many things that can force Trump to back down, but when it came to the info war in Minnesota, he concluded that it was a news cycle he could not win by brute force.<\/p>\n<p>Now it is up to Homan to broker a deal with local leaders, including Walz. At the top of his list, Secrets is told, is gaining access to Minnesota&rsquo;s prisons and jails to secure inmates wanted for deportation.<\/p>\n<p>The moves will placate Republicans on the Hill as well as the <em>New York Post<\/em>, Trump&rsquo;s favorite newspaper. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s time to de-escalate in Minneapolis, Mr. President,&rdquo; <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/01\/25\/opinion\/what-trumps-next-move-needs-to-be-in-minneapolis\/\">it said in a Monday editorial<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>But not so much the firebrand wing of the MAGA movement. &ldquo;No de-escalation,&rdquo; Steve Bannon said at the end of his <em>WarRoom<\/em> show. &ldquo;Finish what we started.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Yet the view from cooler heads in the administration is that Trump recognized a no-win situation.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The Democrats won&rsquo;t want to give anything up because it&rsquo;s working really really well for them,&rdquo; the senior official said. &ldquo;The more people that are arrested and hurt then the better it is for their politicians.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4434695\/trump-immigration-unstuck-minnesota-shooting-operation-damage-control\/\"><strong>TRUMP&rsquo;S IMMIGRATION FOOTING COMES UNSTUCK AS MINNESOTA SHOOTING TURNS INTO &lsquo;OPERATION CLUSTERF***&rsquo;<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-power-lunch-or-frat-session\">Power lunch or frat session?<\/h2>\n<p>Everyone was having a late lunch at The Palm in Washington on Friday, or so it seemed to Secrets. There was a Trump adviser and senior official in one corner, trying to remain anonymous. Less anonymous was the former governor who convened a brain trust at the big table.<\/p>\n<p>They lingered late into the afternoon and covered all the big topics.<\/p>\n<p>Oncology: &ldquo;Michael Douglas &hellip; that&rsquo;s how he got cancer.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Entomology: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s like the human centipede.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>High finance: something to do with Jamie Dimon&rsquo;s wife that is unprintable in a newsletter of this caliber.<\/p>\n<p>It&rsquo;s hard to know if it was a strategy meeting or a fraternity reunion, even though almost every word was audible to nearby diners. And to Secrets, who was wooing a high-level source at the next table.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-lunchtime-reading\">Lunchtime reading<\/h2>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/01\/27\/books\/review\/hated-by-all-the-right-people-jason-zengerle.html\">How Did Tucker Carlson Get This Way? How Did America?<\/a> What ultimately shifted Carlson&rsquo;s trajectory was his move into TV. In Jason Zengerle&rsquo;s telling, when Carlson joined the debate show <em>Crossfire<\/em> as its resident conservative in 2001, he found it impossible to maintain either nuance or his contrarian instincts. Instead, he became the sneering partisan hack the show&rsquo;s format demanded.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/culture\/the-lede\/the-beckhams-very-public-family-meltdown\">The Beckhams&rsquo; very public family meltdown<\/a>: They put their births and marriages in the spotlight, selling tabloid photos and making Netflix documentaries. Would their estrangement be any different?<\/p>\n<p><em>You are reading&nbsp;Washington Secrets, a guide to power and politics in Washington and beyond. It is written by Rob Crilly, whom you can reach at <strong>secrets@washingtonexaminer<\/strong>&nbsp;<strong>DOT COM<\/strong>&nbsp;with your comments, story tips, and suggestions.<\/em>&nbsp;<em>If a friend sent you this and you&rsquo;d like to sign up,&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"http:\/\/click1.trk-washingtonexaminer.com\/xprvgynrhhctscghtpnrptnqlrtypjmjlkrlcnpvhgpdcr_jtjrvfbrrsmwbqmnsbmvsv.html?a=Washington+Secrets+Lara+Trump&amp;b=01%2F21%2F2026&amp;c=WEX_Washington+Secrets&amp;d=25812206&amp;e=da31c45955c9411a6c40ecd0e967fa8def1f0fc08362faaa0dee09386ff5c41b\">click here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trump&#8217;s info war setback in Minneapolis<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4136,"featured_media":2554054,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2258164085.jpg?w=594","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[50577,72019,6772,52932,3634],"class_list":["post-2554053","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-disinformation-2","tag-election-messaging","tag-minneapolis","tag-social-media-strategy","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2258164085.jpg?w=594","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2554053","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4136"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2554053"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2554053\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2554061,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2554053\/revisions\/2554061"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2554054"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2554053"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2554053"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2554053"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}