Trump Threatened Tim Walz With the Insurrection Act and the Governor’s Response Left Jaws on the Floor

Minneapolis has become ground zero for the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.

Governor Tim Walz thought his primetime speech would rally resistance.

But Trump threatened Tim Walz with the Insurrection Act and the governor's response left jaws on the floor.

Trump Drops Hammer on Minnesota After Second ICE Shooting

A Venezuelan man attacked a federal immigration officer with a shovel and broom handle Wednesday night in north Minneapolis after fleeing a traffic stop.

The ICE agent shot him in the leg in self-defense, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

This shooting came just a week after agent Jonathan Ross fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Good on January 7.

Trump immediately threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act.

"If the corrupt politicians of Minnesota don't obey the law and stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of I.C.E., who are only trying to do their job, I will institute the INSURRECTION ACT, which many Presidents have done before me, and quickly put an end to the travesty that is taking place in that once great State," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

That's a 217-year-old federal law giving presidents authority to deploy active-duty troops domestically without asking Congress.

George H.W. Bush used it 34 years ago during the LA riots after Rodney King's attackers were acquitted.

But Bush sent troops at California Governor Pete Wilson's request after over 60 people died and the city burned.

Trump's doing the opposite.

He's threatening to send troops against Governor Walz's wishes to protect his own federal agents.

That would create entirely new legal ground.

Walz Doubles Down With Jaw-Dropping Call to Action

Hours before Wednesday's shooting, Walz delivered a six-minute primetime address calling on Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to "end this occupation."

The speech was plagued with technical difficulties as terrible audio echo made parts of it nearly incomprehensible.

"What's happening in Minnesota right now defies belief," Walz claimed.

He accused ICE agents of going "door to door, ordering people to point out where their neighbors of color live" and "breaking windows, dragging pregnant women down the street."

Then Walz made a move that left jaws on the floor.

Instead of backing down from Trump's threat, the governor urged Minnesotans to stalk and record federal agents.

"If you see these ICE agents in your neighborhood, take out that phone and hit record," Walz said. "Help us create a database of the atrocities against Minnesotans, not just to establish a record for posterity, but to bank evidence for future prosecution."

That's right.

Walz responded to Trump's threat of military deployment by calling for citizens to gather evidence against federal law enforcement.

The White House immediately mocked Walz's disastrous address.

"Tampon is currently attempting to do a live, highly produced statewide address to condemn the enforcement of our immigration laws in Minnesota… but it's not going so well," the White House Rapid Response account posted along with video of the audio failures.

"You're a loser, @GovTimWalz — and you always will be. Just resign in disgrace, you buffoon."

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche accused Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey of inciting terrorism.

"Walz and Frey — I'm focused on stopping YOU from your terrorism by whatever means necessary. This is not a threat. It's a promise," Blanche wrote on X.

Nearly 3,000 federal immigration agents have flooded the Minneapolis area since Operation Metro Surge began in December.

That's more than the combined police forces of Minneapolis and St. Paul.

DHS has made approximately 2,500 arrests across Minnesota.

Federal agents used tear gas, pepper balls, and flash bangs on protesters Wednesday night.

Smoke filled the streets as demonstrators threw rocks and shot fireworks at officers wearing gas masks and helmets.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara described the gathering as an "unlawful assembly" and urged protesters to go home.

Mayor Frey called the situation "not sustainable" and said the federal force has "invaded" Minneapolis.

A federal judge on Wednesday declined to issue a temporary restraining order against ICE operations.

Judge Katherine Menendez gave the Justice Department until Monday to respond to the request from Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and the mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Every modern use of the Insurrection Act has come either at a governor's request or to enforce civil rights over state objections.

Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy used it to enforce school desegregation in the 1960s.

Lyndon Johnson deployed troops during riots after Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination in 1968.

Bush in 1992 sent soldiers after California begged for help.

Trump would be the first president in over half a century to deploy troops against a state's wishes for anything other than civil rights enforcement.

He'd be protecting his own federal agents conducting operations the governor opposes.

Walz's response shows Democrats still haven't grasped the power dynamics at play.

Trump holds the legal authority, the federal agents on the ground, and now the explicit threat of active-duty military deployment.

Walz can urge citizens to record ICE agents all he wants.

But when Trump follows through and federalizes troops, those videos won't stop what's coming.

Democrats wanted resistance.

Now they're finding out what happens when you resist a president who's done playing games.

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Sources:

• Multiple Staff Writers, "Trump threatens to use Insurrection Act to deploy troops to Minnesota," CBS News, January 15, 2026.
• Associated Press, "Trump threatens to use the Insurrection Act to 'put an end' to protests in Minneapolis," OPB, January 15, 2026.
• Zachary Leeman, "Donald Trump threatens to invoke Insurrection Act amid Minneapolis unrest," The Hill, January 15, 2026.
• Staff, "Trump threatens to invoke the Insurrection Act in response to Minneapolis protests," NBC News, January 15, 2026.
• Staff, "What is the Insurrection Act and why has it been invoked before?" ABC News, June 4, 2020.
• Max Nesterak and Alyssa Chen, "Remarks of Gov. Tim Walz's address on ICE actions in Minnesota," Pioneer Press, January 14, 2026.
• Tommy Christopher, "Tim Walz Demands Trump End 'Organized Brutality' of Minnesota's ICE 'Occupation' in Prime-Time Address," Mediaite, January 15, 2026.
• Alex Derosier, "Walz calls for Minnesotans to record ICE, continue resistance to immigration crackdown," Twin Cities Pioneer Press, January 14, 2026.