{"id":2558384,"date":"2026-01-30T12:06:01","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T17:06:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-house-report-card-minnesota-overshadows-everything\/"},"modified":"2026-01-30T12:08:55","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T17:08:55","slug":"white-house-report-card-minnesota-overshadows-everything","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-house-report-card-minnesota-overshadows-everything\/","title":{"rendered":"White House report card: Minnesota overshadows everything"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/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%2Fwhite-house-report-card-minnesota-overshadows-everything%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=2558384&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>The Washington Examiner&#8217;s &#8220;Washington Secrets&#8221; column says President Trump had a busy week \u2014 naming kevin Warsh as his Fed chair pick, attending a film premiere, calling for a winter ceasefire with Putin, promoting economic wins in Iowa, and holding a Cabinet meeting \u2014 but all of that was overshadowed by turmoil in Minneapolis. Two <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-worked-to-bring-back-remain-in-mexico-before-supreme-court-ruling\/\" title=\"Biden Worked to Bring Back \u2018Remain in Mexico\u2019 Before Supreme Court Ruling\">top immigration officials<\/a> were removed and replaced by border czar Tom Homan, who sought calmer, more diplomatic engagement while some ICE officers were withdrawn. The media and public focus centered on the fatal Border Patrol shooting of Alex Pretti and ensuing unrest in Minneapolis, with <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >critics accusing local leaders<\/a> of fanning the flames.<\/p>\n<p>The column criticizes White house handling of the episode, describes Secretary of Homeland Security (named in the piece) as a potential scapegoat, and notes staff admissions of mistakes. Congressional defections on ICE\/DHS funding pushed the management toward compromises that commentators say undercut Trump\u2019s immigration agenda and raised the risk of a partial shutdown. On foreign policy, Trump\u2019s tough talk and positioning of the USS Abraham Lincoln near Iran stoked fears of escalation even as some regional partners urge restraint.<\/p>\n<p>Pundits weighing in gave poor marks: John Zogby graded the week an F, arguing Trump was on the ropes, while Jed Babbin offered a C+, calling it a disappointing, Groundhog Day\u2013like stretch. The piece also flags concerns about higher trade deficits tied to tariff policy, slipping approval ratings, and the delicate balancing act between deterrence and diplomacy on Iran and Ukraine.  <\/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\">White House report card: Minnesota overshadows everything<\/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_2488411\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><strong><em>Welcome back to Washington Secrets. Our friendly strategist and pollster sink their teeth into President Donald Trump&rsquo;s week. And the results are not very good. Stay warm this weekend everyone &hellip;&nbsp;<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It has been a busy week for President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Donald Trump<\/a>. Today, he <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3902530\/trump-names-kevin-warsh-fed-chairman\/\">unveiled his pick for Federal Reserve chair<\/a>, last night, he was in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/01\/29\/arts\/melania-movie-trump-kennedy-center.html\">black tie for the premiere of &ldquo;Melania<\/a>.&rdquo; There was a weeklong winter ceasefire call with Vladimir Putin, federal searches for ballots in Fulton County, Georgia, a trip to Iowa to promote economic wins, a Cabinet meeting, and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4437264\/nicki-minaj-sells-trump-accounts-amid-2026-affordability-blitz\/\">Nicki Minaj<\/a>. But none of those made much of a dent in the rolling news from Minnesota.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/washington-secrets\/4438701\/melania-most-interesting-person-white-house\/\">Why Melania is the most interesting person in the White House (when she&#8217;s there)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/washington-secrets\/4436661\/list-democrats-gop-strategists-help-hold-house\/\">This is the list of Democrats that GOP strategists believe could help them hold the House<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/washington-secrets\/4434927\/how-trump-lost-info-war-minneapolis\/\">How Trump lost the info war in Minneapolis<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-john-zogby-f\">John Zogby: F<\/h2>\n<p>Trump is on the ropes and is once again forced to back down from another take-no-prisoners action. This time, it&rsquo;s Minneapolis, where two top immigration officials were removed from the city and replaced with border czar <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/tom-homan\/\">Tom Homan<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Homan is no shrinking violet but he at least had civil conversations with the city&rsquo;s mayor and the state&rsquo;s governor, promising to investigate a deadly shooting and withdrawing some <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ice\/\">Immigration and Customs Enforcement<\/a> officers from the city.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Kristi Noem, Secretary of Homeland Security, is looking more and more like a sacrificial lamb, another problem for Trump. Stephen Miller, deputy White House chief of staff, who by the way knows everything, finally admitted, sort of, that maybe mistakes were made.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The president is now talking tough again on Iran. Which is more frightening: unleashing another attack on Iran or backing down? Is shutting up ever under consideration?&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>His tariff policies have driven the U.S. trade deficit higher than a year ago and the president&rsquo;s approval rating is significantly lower than a year ago. Several major polls show him in the 30s.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Looks like it&rsquo;s time for folks at the White House to chill and maybe unwind by catching a new documentary at a local theater. Plenty of seats are available, I understand.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-jed-babbin-c-plus\">Jed Babbin: C plus<\/h2>\n<p>This was not a very good week for Trump and his team. It seems like another version of Groundhog Day with Congress refusing to fund ICE &mdash; which could have led to another <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/vulnerable-house-republicans-wary-of-government-shutdown-fight-looming-after-recess-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Vulnerable House Republicans wary of government shutdown fight looming after recess - Washington Examiner\">government shutdown &#038;mdash<\/a>; calls for &ldquo;de-escalation&rdquo; in Minneapolis, and Trump calling for the Iranians to come to the table for another nuclear deal. (The first version was about Medicaid for illegal immigrants and this one is about Trump&rsquo;s policy on deporting illegal immigrants, especially those who committed crimes here. Do you see a trend? The Dems will do anything they can to frustrate the deportation of undocumented immigrants.)<\/p>\n<p>The media is totally consumed with the shooting death of Alex Pretti at the hands of Border Patrol. It does appear to be an unjustified shooting. But the riots in Minneapolis are far beyond that with both Gov. Tampon <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/tim-walz\/\">Tim Walz<\/a> (D-MN) and Democratic Minneapolis Mayor <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jacob-frey\/\">Jacob Frey<\/a> trying to rouse the crowds rather than calling for calm.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The defections of seven Republican senators on funding for ICE and the Department of Homeland Security funding seem to have cowed Trump into a compromise on the Minneapolis effort to deport a lot of the undocumented immigrants. If Trump does this, he&rsquo;ll end up retreating on all of it. There may still be a partial government shutdown but only affecting ICE and DHS &hellip; neither of which Trump can compromise on.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, DHS has claimed that in the first year of Trump&rsquo;s second term, about three million illegal immigrants have been deported or self-deported. This is what Trump was elected to do and he can&rsquo;t spare DHS or ICE in order to continue this effort.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>And we can&rsquo;t forget Iran or Ukraine. Trump&rsquo;s positioning of another aircraft carrier, the <em>USS Abraham Lincoln<\/em>, near Iran is another threat Iran can&rsquo;t ignore. Or can it? Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and other Arab nations have been pressuring Trump to not attack Iran. Is there a diplomatic off-ramp to a war? Trump has to know he cannot trust Iran in any respect. They&rsquo;ll lie, cheat, and steal just as they always have. So what&rsquo;s the point of negotiating?<\/p>\n<p>We are a bit more than three weeks away from the fourth anniversary of the Russian war on Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that U.S. security guarantees are agreed but not yet announced. Those guarantees may not be enough to even get a ceasefire because Russian President Vladimir Putin is not interested in peace. Trump&rsquo;s new &ldquo;Board of Peace&rdquo; meets Putin, who is bored of peace.<\/p>\n<p><strong>John Zogby<\/strong> is the founder of the Zogby Survey and senior partner at John Zogby Strategies. His latest book, Beyond the Horse Race: How to Read Polls and Why We Should, was just released. His podcast with son and managing partner and pollster Jeremy Zogby can be heard here. Follow him on X @ZogbyStrategies.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Jed Babbin<\/strong> is a <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> contributor and former deputy undersecretary of defense in the administration of former President George H.W. Bush. Follow him on X @jedbabbin.<\/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.wsj.com\/economy\/central-banking\/the-long-campaign-of-kevin-warsh-e5bd26d6\"><strong>Trump Picks Kevin Warsh as Fed Chairman<\/strong><\/a>: Warsh will have to satisfy a president who has made clear he expects rates to fall &mdash; and who has shown no patience for Fed chairs who disappoint him. Trump showered praise on Powell after nominating him in 2017, only to lash out regularly when the Fed bucked his demands for lower rates.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/daily-on-defense\/4440303\/is-the-us-about-to-go-to-war-with-iran-over-nuclear-weapons\/https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/daily-on-defense\/4440303\/is-the-us-about-to-go-to-war-with-iran-over-nuclear-weapons\/https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/daily-on-defense\/4440303\/is-the-us-about-to-go-to-war-with-iran-over-nuclear-weapons\/ist\"><strong>Is the U.S. about to go to war with Iran over nuclear weapons?<\/strong><\/a>  Besides the aircraft carrier <em>Lincoln<\/em>, the U.S. has positioned at least eight other warships in the region. &ldquo;We have a lot of very big, very powerful ships sailing to Iran right now, and it would be great if we didn&rsquo;t have to use them,&rdquo; Trump said last night.<\/p>\n<p><em>You are reading Washington Secrets, a guide to power and politics in D.C. and beyond. It is written by Rob Crilly, whom you can reach at <\/em><strong><em>secrets@washingtonexaminerDOTCOM<\/em><\/strong><em>  with your comments, story tips, and suggestions.<\/em> <em>If a friend sent you this and you&rsquo;d like to sign up, <\/em><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\"><em>click here<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/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>Minnesota Overshadows Trump&#8217;s Turbulent Week<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4136,"featured_media":2558385,"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\/AP26030110047967.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[5698,5894,72322,33296,32127],"class_list":["post-2558384","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-minnesota","tag-politics","tag-presidential-performance","tag-report-card","tag-white-house"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AP26030110047967.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2558384","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=2558384"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2558384\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2558388,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2558384\/revisions\/2558388"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2558385"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2558384"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2558384"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2558384"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}