President Donald Trump issued an ominous warning Friday to Minnesota leaders over the ongoing protests against federal immigration officials, hinting that he may be “forced” to quash the protests himself amid recent threats of invoking the Insurrection Act.
“In Minnesota, the Troublemakers, Agitators, and Insurrectionists are, in many cases, highly paid professionals,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.
“The Governor and Mayor don’t know what to do, they have totally lost control, and our currently being rendered, USELESS! If, and when, I am forced to act, it will be solved, QUICKLY and EFFECTIVELY!”
Trump’s vague threat comes after reporting that he’s been eyeing invoking the Insurrection Act of 1807, a federal law that allows the president to deploy the military to U.S. cities and states. The Insurrection Act has not been invoked since the 1992 during the riots in Los Angeles, California, sparked after the acquittal of four Los Angeles Police Department officers who had beaten Rodney King.
A recent YouGov poll found that 44% of Americans strongly oppose Trump invoking the Insurrection Act in Minnesota, compared with just 22% who strongly approve. Nevertheless, Trump has continued to escalate rhetoric about invoking the law, echoing similar threats he made during his first term that ultimately went unfulfilled.