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Trump Weighs How to Proceed in Minneapolis

January 26, 2026 at 6:46 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“President Trump fielded dozens of calls over the weekend from administration officials and senators, advisers said, with some worrying that public sentiment has turned against the administration’s immigration-enforcement actions,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Some of the president’s aides have come to see the increasingly volatile situation in Minneapolis as a political liability and believe the White House should be looking for an off-ramp.”

“However, others in the administration believe that ending the current efforts in Minneapolis would be a capitulation to the left.”

Republicans Start Raising Concerns About ICE

January 26, 2026 at 6:42 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“A small but growing number of Republicans are raising public concerns about the killing Saturday of a 37-year-old Minnesota man by federal agents,” Politico reports.

“However gentle and equivocal the pushback might be, it is growing increasingly conspicuous as congressional Republicans privately discuss how to respond to Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement campaign ahead of the midterm elections. Some Republicans have been privately warning administration officials and GOP leaders for months that the operation is not going over well in some pockets of the country.”

Said one House Republican: “Many of us wonder if the administration has any clue as to how much this will hurt us legislatively and electorally this year.”

Headed for a Shutdown

January 26, 2026 at 6:32 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Punchbowl News: “Saturday’s horrific shooting — and the Trump administration’s handling of the aftermath — galvanized Senate Democrats, who quickly united on a strategy to block the six-bill FY2026 funding package unless the DHS funding, which includes ICE, is stripped out and renegotiated. This would require the House to vote again. And that’s a serious problem since the chamber is on recess all week.”

“A big shift? House and Senate Democrats want fundamental changes to how ICE operates in cities around the country. Trump and top administration officials have, up until now, shown few signs of changing course in his nationwide immigration crackdown.”

“However, Trump told the Wall Street Journal’s Josh Dawsey Sunday night that the Pretti shooting will be reviewed and the Minnesota-focused ICE surge will end ‘at some point.’ Inside the administration, there’s a stark realization that the Minneapolis shootings have been catastrophic politically, and they’re losing ground on an issue that Republicans have dominated.”


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Trump Wouldn’t Defend Agent Who Shot Man

January 25, 2026 at 7:49 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“President Trump declined to say whether the federal officer who fatally shot a man in Minnesota this weekend had acted appropriately and said the administration was reviewing the incident,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

Said Trump: “We’re looking, we’re reviewing everything and will come out with a determination.”

Republicans’ House Majority Is Shakier Than Ever

January 25, 2026 at 6:32 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Wall Street Journal: “Falling short of a working majority doesn’t just risk lost votes. If Republicans don’t outnumber Democrats every day they are in session, they can’t conduct any business on the floor. If more Republicans quit or die, there is an outside chance they could even lose the majority and the gavel.”

Judge Rules ICE Raids Require Judicial Warrants

January 25, 2026 at 6:30 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“A federal judge in Minnesota ruled last Saturday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents violated the Fourth Amendment after they forcibly entered a Minnesota man’s home without a judicial warrant,” Wired reports.

“The conduct of the agents closely mirrors a previously undisclosed ICE directive that claims agents are permitted to enter people’s homes using an administrative warrant, rather than a warrant signed by a judge.”

Republicans Struggle to Respond to Shooting

January 25, 2026 at 6:18 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The fatal shooting of a 37-year-old man by a federal agent in Minneapolis has set off alarm bells among Republicans, fueling worries within the party about a potential backlash to violent tactics by the Trump administration in its immigration crackdown,” the New York Times reports.

“Some Republicans came forward on Sunday to vigorously defend the administration and place blame for the death of the man, Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a U.S. citizen, on forces on the left who oppose President Trump’s immigration policies. But many party leaders stayed silent, and some G.O.P. lawmakers both in the center and on the hard right raised grave concerns, suggesting a rare moment of dissent over a killing carried out in broad daylight and recorded by bystanders.”

House Democrats Call for Noem’s Impeachment

January 25, 2026 at 6:16 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“A House Democratic caucus call on Sunday lit up with calls to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and travel to Minnesota in support of anti-ICE protesters after the shooting of Alex Pretti,” Axios reports.

Josh Shapiro Not Popular with Democratic Officials

January 25, 2026 at 6:14 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is wildly popular with voters in his critical battleground state. But among some top Democrats there who know him personally, feelings are lukewarm — sometimes even resentful,” Axios reports.

James Comer Calls on Trump to Pull ICE Out of Minnesota

January 25, 2026 at 4:18 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer suggested on Sunday that President Donald Trump should pull back the thousands of federal officers deployed to Minneapolis, becoming the first prominent Republican to urge Trump to consider local officials’ requests for respite from the aggressive immigration crackdown that has led to two deaths, multiple shootings by federal immigration agents and widespread protests,” NOTUS reports.

Said Comer:  “If I were President Trump, I would almost think about, OK, if the mayor and the governor are going to put our ICE officials in harm’s way, and there’s a chance of losing more, you know, innocent lives or whatever, then maybe go to another city.”

Extra Bonus Quote of the Day

January 25, 2026 at 4:15 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“What’s the plan, Donald Trump? What is the plan? What do we need to do to get these federal agents out of our state? If fear, violence and chaos is what you wanted from us, then you clearly underestimated the people of this state and nation.”

— Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), quoted by CBS News.

Generational Change Roils the Congressional Black Caucus

January 25, 2026 at 3:05 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Politico: “A new generation of Black Democrats is running in the midterms, aiming to inject a younger vision into an aging Congressional Black Caucus. And in some cases, that means primarying incumbents.”

“The wave of new candidates comes amid an identity crisis for the Democratic Party, which has splintered along generational and ideological lines as the party searches for new leaders in the second Trump era, both for this November and the open presidential race in two years.”

Vote Counting, Felon Voting and a Warning Sign

January 25, 2026 at 2:59 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Just for members: The latest issue of Ballot Access News.

This issue covers a major Supreme Court ruling strengthening candidates’ rights to challenge election laws that produce inaccurate vote totals, even when the outcome isn’t in doubt.

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What Trump Is Thinking About

January 25, 2026 at 1:22 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

President Trump posted a long Truth Social rant about his new ballroom — amid devastating winter storms and fallout from federal agents shooting a protester in Minneapolis.

He complained that his “gift to the American people” is not being properly appreciated.

Bonus Quote of the Day

January 25, 2026 at 1:18 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“There have been three killings in Minneapolis since the beginning of the year. Two have been committed by federal agents, one ICE, and the other border control. That’s what we’re dealing with here.”

— Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), quoted by the Wall Street Journal.

China’s Top General Accused of Giving Secrets to U.S.

January 25, 2026 at 12:56 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“China’s senior-most general is accused of leaking information about the country’s nuclear-weapons program to the U.S. and accepting bribes for official acts, including the promotion of an officer to defense minister,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

The Immigration Crackdown Meets the Camera

January 25, 2026 at 12:46 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

President Trump has lost control of his immigration message.

CNN reported Friday that Trump has been “privately frustrated” by the chaos in Minneapolis, which has begun to overwhelm his administration’s carefully managed narrative.

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Quote of the Day

January 25, 2026 at 11:56 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“I think the death of Americans, what we’re seeing on TV, it’s causing deep concerns over federal tactics and accountability. Americans don’t like what they’re seeing right now…. He’s getting bad advice right now. The president needs to let the American people — what is the solution? How do we bring this to conclusion? And I think only the president can answer that question, because it’s complicated. We have to enforce federal laws, but we need to know, what is the endgame? And I don’t think it’s to deport every single non-U.S. citizen.”

— Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R), on CNN.

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About Political Wire

goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.

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