Donald Trump Erupts in Late-Night Rant to Defend Kristi Noem After Deadly Minneapolis Shootings Spark Calls for Her to be Fired
President Donald Trump issued a late-night Truth Social post defending Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Jan. 31 2026, Published 2:30 p.m. ET
President Donald Trump has mounted a late-night defense of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, responding to mounting criticism and calls for her removal following two fatal law enforcement shootings in Minneapolis, RadarOnline.com can report.
Trump's Rant
Trump claimed critics were targeting Noem because she is a woman.
In a nearly 10:00 p.m. Truth Social post, Trump accused political opponents of targeting Noem because of her gender and praised her performance leading the Department of Homeland Security after a week in which he appeared to distance himself from her publicly.
"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 wrote.
Noem, 54, has faced growing scrutiny after the killing of ICU nurse Alex Pretti by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis on January 24. Her leadership was already under pressure following impeachment efforts tied to the fatal ICE shooting of Minneapolis mother Renee Good on January 7.
Noem Out?
Noem has come under intense scrutiny following two fatal law enforcement shootings in Minneapolis.
Tensions inside the administration appeared evident earlier this week when Noem was notably skipped over during a Cabinet meeting, and Trump assigned border czar Tom Homan to take over Minneapolis operations.
In his 180-word post, Trump linked Noem's leadership to what he described as dramatic improvements in border security and public safety, repeating claims that violent crime has fallen sharply nationwide.
"The Border disaster that I inherited is fixed, the violent criminals that were allowed into our Country through Sleepy Joe's 'sick' Open Border Policy, are largely gone, or being strongly sought for purposes of removal, and the Murder Rate in the USA just reached the lowest level in history, 125 years!" Trump wrote. "Washington, D.C., is now one of the safest cities in America - Likewise, numerous other once very dangerous cities!"
The White House has echoed those claims in recent weeks, calling the drop in violent crime a "direct result of President Trump's unwavering commitment to Make America Safe Again." However, crime experts have noted that national crime rates were already declining before Trump returned to office, raising questions about the administration's assertions.
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Trump appeared to distance himself from Noem by skipping her during a Cabinet meeting.
Trump also accused Democrats of using protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement as a political distraction, escalating his attacks on Minnesota officials, including Gov. Tim Walz, Rep. Ilhan Omar and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.
"Republicans, don't let these Crooked Democrats, who are stealing Billions of Dollars from Minnesota, and other Cities and States from all over the Country, push you around," Trump wrote. "They are using this aggressive protest SCAM to obfuscate, camouflage, and hide their CRIMINAL ACTS of theft and insurrection. They should all be in jail. I was elected on Strong Borders, and Law and Order, among many other things. Thank you to Secretary Kristi Noem."
The president's post marked his most forceful defense yet of Noem amid intensifying political pressure over DHS operations in Minneapolis.
