Trump Says He Sent Tom Homan to Minneapolis to ‘De-Escalate’ Tensions

President Donald Trump said Tuesday he is taking steps to “de-escalate” the volatile situation in Minneapolis following the fatal shooting of U.S. citizen Alex Pretti by federal agents there over the weekend.

He made the comments during an interview on Fox News’ “The Will Cain Show,” calling for an “honest investigation” into the shooting and giving his candid thoughts about Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino, who earlier this week was removed from the state after leading the administration’s immigration enforcement surge.

“Bovino is very good, but he’s an out there kind of guy,” Trump said. “In some cases, that’s good, maybe it wasn’t good here.”

Earlier in the day, Trump also said that he personally would attempt to oversee the investigation into Pretti’s shooting.

“I want to see the investigation. I’m going to be watching over it, and I want a very honorable and honest investigation. I have to see it myself,” Trump told reporters as he was leaving the White House.

Trump’s Tuesday comments sounded markedly different from some top administration officials, who almost immediately called the 37-year-old ICU nurse a “domestic terrorist” looking to “do maximum damage” — claims offered without evidence and that have largely since walked back.

It was the second killing by immigration officials this month in Minneapolis, following the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Good.

Trump continued to highlight his deportation efforts as a win during a rally in Iowa Tuesday night. He said his administration had removed criminals from Minnesota without mentioning the killings or widespread protests against his immigration crackdown.

During his conversation with Cain, Trump also lamented that even one tragedy had the potential to derail what he sees as a successful effort to crack down on illegal immigration.

“It is always tough. We take out 25 murderers, drug dealers, we take out the whole group of people by the thousands, and if we get one person a little bit wrong: headlines,” Trump said.

The White House outlined on Monday what it wants Minnesota to do before the administration pulls back the thousands of federal agents operating in the state. At a press briefing, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey must end so-called “sanctuary” policies, fully cooperate with immigration agents to identify unauthorized immigrants already in custody for other crimes and let local police assist in detaining migrants.

Only if those conditions are met, Leavitt said, would the federal surge be scaled back.

The two sides appear to be making progress. Frey said some federal agents were leaving the city after he had a phone call with Trump on Monday night. The president also said he had a “very good call” with Walz, claiming the two were “on a similar wavelength.”

Trump’s Border czar Tom Homan, who is replacing Bovino as the head of the Department of Homeland Security’s operation in Minnesota, met with Frey and Walz on Tuesday as well, and said it was a “productive starting point.”

“We all agree that we need to support our law enforcement officers and get criminals off the streets,” Homan said. “While we don’t agree on everything, these meetings were a productive starting point, and I look forward to more conversations with key stakeholders in the days ahead.”