Trump Rallies to Noem's Defense, Attributes Criticism to Gender Bias
Former President Donald Trump has offered a pointed explanation for the intense scrutiny facing Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, suggesting the backlash stems from prejudice rather than policy. In a detailed post on his Truth Social platform late Friday, Trump framed the criticism as fundamentally rooted in misogyny.
"The Radical Left Lunatics, Insurrectionists, Agitators, and Thugs, are going after Kristi Noem, the Secretary of Homeland Security, because she is a woman, and has done a really GREAT JOB!" Trump declared in his social media tirade. He positioned the attacks as politically motivated and disconnected from her performance.
Praise for Border Policy and Dismissal of Minneapolis Protests
Trump's defense extended to lauding Noem's management of the U.S.-Mexico border situation, which he characterized as effective. He then turned his attention to the ongoing turmoil in Minneapolis, labeling the massive demonstrations against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as a "SCAM."
According to Trump, the protests serve to "obfuscate" an unrelated fraud scandal in Minnesota, thereby deflecting from what he views as Noem's competent leadership. This assertion directly challenges the narrative emerging from Minneapolis.
The Minneapolis Catalyst: Fatal Shootings and Public Outcry
The city has been engulfed in protest following federal immigration officers killing two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti. The aggressive tactics employed by ICE have generated a pervasive climate of fear across parts of Minneapolis and its surrounding suburbs, fueling public anger.
Secretary Noem drew particularly fierce condemnation for her remarks after Alex Pretti was fatally shot by Border Patrol officers. Almost immediately following the incident, Noem stated that Pretti was planning to "inflict maximum damage" on law enforcement and had been "brandishing a gun."
These claims were starkly contradicted by multiple eyewitness videos from the scene, which showed a different version of events. The discrepancy between her official statements and visual evidence significantly intensified the backlash against her.
Bipartisan Criticism and Noem's Justification
The fallout has been substantial, with calls for Noem's dismissal coming from both Democratic officials and some Republican figures. Influential conservative voices, including former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, have publicly condemned her handling of the shooting's aftermath.
In a Fox News interview on Thursday, Noem defended her initial reaction to the killing. She maintained that "we were using the best information we had at the time," standing by her department's early assessment despite the conflicting evidence presented by eyewitness recordings.
The situation presents a complex political challenge, intertwining issues of immigration enforcement, official accountability, and the role of gender in public criticism, as highlighted by Trump's vigorous defense of his Homeland Security secretary.
