Trump attempts to pivot in face of backlash over Minneapolis killing |
MINNEAPOLIS, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump sent his top border enforcer to Minneapolis on Monday and struck a conciliatory note in a bid to tamp down nationwide outrage over the second killing of a US citizen protesting militarized immigration raids this month.
The White House was scrambling as video of the latest shooting went viral, prompting street protests, criticism from former presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, and, increasingly, from within Trump’s Republican Party.
Trump said Tom Homan, his point man for border security, “will report directly to me.”
Homan’s new role appears to acknowledge that the administration has run into political damage, with polls showing a majority of Americans disapprove of the often brutal crackdown by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
In a marked change of tone, Trump said he held a “very good” talk with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, a Democrat whom he has repeatedly accused of corruption.
Trump also said he had called Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, another Democrat, with the latter saying “the president agreed the present situation can’t continue.”
Frey also said “some federal agents” will begin leaving Minneapolis on Tuesday, without providing specifics.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that “nobody in the White House, including President Trump, wants to........