Trump continues to defend Homan, Noem amid immigration enforcement backlash
Border czar Tom Homan speaks during a news conference about ongoing immigration enforcement operations on January 29, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — President Donald Trump took to social media to show his support for two of his administration leaders amid the leadership shakeup following last week’s fatal shooting in Minneapolis.
The president praised the work of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who came under fire following the deaths of Minneapolis residents Alex Pretti and Renee Good at the hands of federal agents, and thanked Border Czar Tom Homan, who he sent to Minneapolis this week to smooth over boiling tensions.
Despite several videos showing the 37-year-old Pretti did not have a firearm in his hands when he encountered federal agents on Jan 24, Noem initially claimed, without evidence, that the nurse brandished a weapon, was “wishing to inflict harm” and the officers were “attacked.”
Multiple videos of the incident taken by civilians show that Pretti, a licensed gun owner, was disarmed by a law enforcement officer just before the first shot rang out.
The FBI is leading the investigation into Good’s shooting on Jan. 7. DHS said that Good was allegedly attempting to run over law enforcement officers when an ICE agent shot her, which local leaders and her family have disputed.
Trump, who has backed Noem all of this week, lashed out at her critics in a social media post posted early Saturday.
“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!,” he said.
Noem walked back her initial comments on the shooting of Pretti later in the week, contending that DHS were getting information from “what we knew to be true on the ground.”
Homan was sent to Minneapolis this week and Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino was ordered by the administration to return to California, sources told ABC News.
Although Homan said he had “productive” discussions with Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, he criticized sanctuary city laws and called on local leaders to assist with federal immigration law enforcement. Homan announced a “draw down” of federal agents in Minneapolis later in the week.
“Border Czar (Plus!) Tom Homan is doing a FANTASTIC JOB. He is one of a kind. Thank you Tom!!!,” Trump said in another post.
Representative Steny Hoyer, a Democrat from Maryland and ranking member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government, during a hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, May 15, 2025. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., the former No. 2 Democrat in the chamber who has served for decades, is set to announce his retirement from Congress, his office confirmed to ABC News.
Hoyer will formally announce his decision not to run for reelection on the House floor at 10 a.m. Thursday.
Hoyer, 86, spent two decades as Nancy Pelosi’s deputy and is set to retire as the California Democrat also prepares to leave Congress at the end of the year — amid a debate in the party about turning over leadership to a new generation.
Their relationship dates back to the 1960s when they served as congressional interns together, decades before they competed to lead Democrats.
The genteel dean of the Maryland delegation, who helped send billions of federal dollars to his state as an appropriator, was often a key negotiating partner for Republican leaders who maintained better relations with him than the hard-charging Pelosi.
Many Democrats are now turning to see if 85-year-old Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, the longtime No. 3 Democrat on the team, will follow through on plans to run for reelection next year.
U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) speaks to members of the media as the Trump Cabinet briefs members of Congress on Iran at the U.S. Capitol on March 3, 2026, in Washington, DC. Trump administration Cabinet officials will be briefing all lawmakers in the House and Senate on U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — The spotlight is now on Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin as the Oklahoma lawmaker is poised to take over the Department of Homeland Security following Kristi Noem’s controversial tenure and firing Thursday.
Mullin, 48, has no law enforcement experience but has been a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump’s policies on immigration and law enforcement.
Mullin told ABC News’ Rachel Scott and other reporters shortly after the news broke that he was completely caught off guard when Trump called him about the announcement and hadn’t yet talked to his wife.
“I am super excited about this opportunity,” he said.
“My focus is to keep the homeland secure,” he added.
Mullin will need to be confirmed by the Senate.
He said he is ready to “try to earn everybody’s vote,” including those of Democrats.
“If they have real concerns I’m going to listen to it, I’m going to be practical,” he said.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
In this Feb. 10, 2026, file photo, Sen. Chris Murphy speaks to reporters as he returns to his office at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images, FILE)
(WASHINGTON) — Despite President Donald Trump saying that the United States and Iran have agreed to a two-week ceasefire, congressional Democrats are pushing forward to hold the president accountable.
“The president has promised to commit war crimes. He’s promised to eradicate an entire civilization we have never ever seen that in the history of this country. That’s why I and many other people have been talking for the last 24 hours about the 25th amendment,” Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy said on CNN Tuesday of the potential vehicle for removing the president from office.
Murphy said Trump has “lost touch with reality” — mentioning the president’s Tuesday morning social media post in which he threatened that a “whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again.”
However, hours before an 8 p.m. ET self-imposed deadline for Iran to make a deal to fully reopen the critical Strait of Hormuz or face broad strikes on its critical infrastructure, Trump said he had agreed to suspend planned bombing for two weeks if Iran agreed to reopen the strait.
“We just can’t accept a president who is literally promising to destroy an entire civilization, to murder hundreds of thousands of innocent human beings. That alone should be grounds for the removal of this President,” said Murphy, who was one of several lawmakers who mentioned the 25th Amendment after Trump’s latest threats.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Wednesday that Senate Democrats will once again force a vote on an Iran war powers resolution when they return from recess next week. The resolution would call on the president to terminate the use of U.S. armed forces in hostilities against Iran or any part of the Iranian government or military unless a declaration of war or authorization to use military force is enacted.
“Republicans will once again have the opportunity to join Democrats and end this reckless war of choice. The public must demand that Republicans join with us to approve a war powers act,” Schumer said at a New York press conference.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the House’s top Democrat, said that “as soon as it becomes available to us to do so,” Democrats will present a war powers resolution on the House floor.
“A two-week ceasefire is insufficient. We need a permanent end to Donald Trump’s reckless war of choice, which is why House Democrats have demanded that Speaker Mike Johnson immediately reconvene the House back into session so we can move a War Powers Resolution that will end this conflict permanently,” Jeffries said on CNN Tuesday night.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson have not yet commented on the matter.
In a statement on Tuesday, Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar said he would support the House’s war powers resolution when it comes up for a vote – a change after Cueller was one of four Democrats who voted against it last month.
Cueller, in a post on X, said the war powers resolution is “a reaffirmation of Congress’ constitutional role and our shared responsibility to the American people.”
The Senate and the House have both failed several times to advance war powers resolutions.
Republican Sen. John Curtis said last week that he won’t support military operations in Iran beyond the 60-day window without congressional approval. He had previously voted with Republicans, aside from Sen. Rand Paul, to block the Iran war powers resolution from advancing, arguing Trump was within his legal authority to act.
In an April 1 op-ed for Deseret News, Curtis wrote that 60 days is a “sufficient window” for Trump to take emergency measures to combat the threat Iran poses, but that a declaration of war should be authorized by Congress for operations to continue.
There are no indications that other Republicans would change their votes on the war power resolution.
Democratic Rep. John Larson on Tuesday filed articles of impeachment to remove Trump from office – however, without Republican support, his effort is not likely to move forward and serves more as a signal of Democratic aspirations if they win back the majority in the midterm elections this fall.
A number of Senate Democrats have continued their calls for Congress to return early from their recess to “vote to end this war.”
Democratic Sen. Andy Kim posted a video on Tuesday night from inside a train he was taking back to Washington — imploring his fellow members of Congress to return as well.
“We need to have answers immediately for the American people. What Trump said earlier is unacceptable, it’s dangerous, it is absolutely unhinged and we should all be concerned about him helming this war, this illegal unconstitutional war. We need Congress back in session immediately,” Kim said in the video. “I call on all my colleagues to get back so we can have a vote to end this war and stop this insanity before it goes any further.”
Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell echoed calls for congressional action.
“A return to diplomatic regional discussions will save lives and dollars and protect America’s long-term interests, while President Trump’s irresponsible words and actions undermine them Congress must impose constraints on this President’s wrongheaded use of force,” Cantwell said in a post on X.
For some Republicans, Trump’s announcement on the ceasefire seemed to be met with cautious optimism.
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, a top Trump ally, said he is hopeful the “reign of terror” can be ended through diplomacy but that he is “extremely cautious regarding what is fact vs fiction.”
“As I stated before, I prefer diplomacy if it leads to the right outcome regarding the Iranian terrorist regime. I appreciate the hard work of all involved in trying to find a diplomatic solution,” Graham posted on X. “At this early stage, I am extremely cautious regarding what is fact vs. fiction or misrepresentation. That’s why a congressional review process like the one the Senate followed to test the Obama Iranian deal is a sound way forward. Fair and challenging questions with a full opportunity to explain, and a healthy dose of sunlight is generally the right formula to understand any matter. Simply put, kick the tires.”
ABC News’ John Parkinson and Lauren Peller contributed to this report.
