Trump threatens to invoke the Insurrection Act in Minnesota after...

Its invocation would fulfill a long-term desire of Trump’s. He views the Insurrection Act as the epitome of executive power and considered invoking it during his first term to quell unrest after George Floyd’s killing. Aides suggested it again after the 2020 election, Trump talked about it extensively during the 2024 campaign, and allies discussed it in the context of the 2024 election — worried the president’s victory could spark violent protests. Trump’s post comes as a federal judge is on the cusp of a ruling that could sharply curtail ICE’s ability to push back on protests and make arrests of demonstrators. U.S. District Judge Kate Menendez intends to rule no later than Friday morning on whether to restrict ICE’s use of nonlethal force, stops of motorists who tail ICE vehicles and arrests of people obeying police perimeters. In a separate post Thursday morning, Trump referred to Menendez, a Biden appointee, as a “highly respected” judge for her decision to wait a few days before deciding on a broader lawsuit by Minnesota against “Operation Metro Surge,” the infusion of federal authorities into Minneapolis and St. Paul to carry out immigration operations. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told reporters at the White House that she discussed the Insurrection Act with the president Thursday morning, calling it his “constitutional right.” She did not call what’s happening in Minnesota an insurrection, instead describing it as violent and a “violation of law in many places” as she urged Walz to work alongside DHS to “get criminals off the streets.” She also said she did not recommend its invocation to Trump, but discussed the president’s options and what her agency is seeing on the ground in Minnesota. “The president uses all the information and intelligence he can get. That’s why he calls me, he calls [Defense Secretary] Pete [Hegseth], he calls local law enforcement,” Noem said, speaking to Trump’s weighing the Insurrection Act. “He talks to those individuals and agents as well that are involved, that he knows well. This president makes fully informed decisions and utilizes his authorities when it’s appropriate.” Minnesota officials urged people living in the city to exercise restraint as violence has escalated. “I know you’re angry,” Walz wrote Wednesday night on X. “I’m angry. What Donald Trump wants is violence in the streets. But Minnesota will remain an island of decency, of justice, of community, and of peace. Don’t give him what he wants.” Trump’s statement came just hours after a man was shot in the leg by federal law enforcement, in what the DHS said was self-defense.