President Donald Trump appeared to shift into self-preservation mode as fallout from a deadly federal operation in Minnesota mounted, recalibrating as political risk grew.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem found herself exposed at the center of the storm — defending a narrative that would soon raise questions about who put her there.
The killing of 37-year-old Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents on Saturday has become one of the most serious threats to Trump’s presidency since he returned to office.
Pretti was shot roughly 10 times during a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation. Multiple videos show him filming agents with his phone, his hands visible, before he was shot in the back. Though he was licensed to carry a firearm, the footage clearly shows he never wielded his gun.
Yet within hours of the shooting, senior Trump officials publicly framed Pretti as a violent threat. Noem and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller were among the loudest voices labeling him a “domestic terrorist” who was “brandishing” a weapon — claims later contradicted by video.
A new report suggests that framing did not emerge organically.
According to Axios, Miller directed Noem to advance the claim that Pretti was preparing to “massacre” law enforcement. One source told the outlet that Miller seized on the mention of a firearm and pushed a version of events portraying Pretti as an imminent threat.
“Everything I’ve done, I’ve done at the direction of the president and Stephen,” Noem later insisted, according to Axios.
Another source described the immediate aftermath of the shooting as chaotic, with officers involved “shutting up and getting lawyers real quick,” leaving senior officials scrambling to construct a public account.
Miller then directed DHS to assemble a statement emphasizing Pretti’s gun ownership, later amplifying the claim himself by calling Pretti an “assassin” — language that was echoed by Noem and other officials.
By Monday, the confidence behind that narrative began to crack.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was suddenly careful, evasive, and noticeably unwilling to repeat the language used by Noem or other administration figures. Pressed repeatedly by reporters, Leavitt stressed that the administration would “let the facts play out,” while insisting that “nobody in the White House, including President Trump, wants to see people getting hurt or killed in America’s streets.”
What she did not do was defend Noem’s earlier statements.
Instead, Leavitt worked to create distance — framing Trump as removed from the initial response and declining to endorse the claims that had defined the administration’s first reaction.
Behind the scenes, the administration was scrambling.
Hours before reports surfaced that Gregory Bovino, the operations commander who helped spread the false claims about Pretti, would be moved out of Minneapolis, Trump announced that border czar Tom Homan would take over immigration operations on the ground. Homan is reportedly a known adversary of Noem.
Trump also softened his public attacks on Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz after speaking with him by phone, later saying the two “seemed to be on a similar wavelength.”
Asked whether Homan’s deployment signaled dissatisfaction with how Noem had handled the situation, Leavitt pushed back, delivering a full-throated defense of Noem, whom she said still had “the utmost confidence and trust of the president” and remained in charge of DHS and FEMA as the country dealt with a major winter storm.
The explanation did little to quiet speculation that Noem was being set up to absorb the blame.
Some online critics suggested Noem’s fate was sealed. “Kristi Noem should have known going in that everyone who supports Trump eventually gets sacrificed. I do not understand why people keep compromising themselves for him—only to eventually get screwed.”
One critic observed: “The walls are closing in! James Comer (R), chairman of the House Oversight Committee, just said that ICE needs to leave Minneapolis so that ‘no more innocent lives are lost.’ ‘INNOCENT.’”
Still, several voices argued that firing Noem would barely scratch the surface. “The buck stops with Trump. He is incompetent for putting people who are not qualified in power. Then when they screw up, he throws them under the bus.”
But in the midst of the chaos and rumors of a massive White House shakeup, Trump met privately in the Oval Office on Monday evening with Noem and her top aide Corey Lewandowski for nearly two hours, a meeting first reported by The New York Times. The meeting was arranged at Noem’s request.
Notably absent from the room was Miller, according to reports.
The omission stood out, particularly in light of the Axios report describing Miller’s role in shaping the narrative that put Noem under intense scrutiny. While Trump did not suggest that Noem’s job was in immediate danger, the meeting underscored just how exposed she had become.
On the White House lawn hours later on Tuesday morning, Trump made it clear he’s standing with Noem, telling reporters that she’s doing a “great job.”
When asked directly if Noem was going to step down, Trump responded, “no.”
Coupled with Noem’s late-night request for the private meeting, and Trump’s sudden insistence on her job security, the reversal only deepened suspicion that something more was at play.
“Whatever did she promise him….” asked one reader on Threads. “Wonder what she has on him…?!??” another wrote.
On Capitol Hill, Democrats delivered blistering criticism of the administration’s conduct, while Republicans have begun calling for a fair and independent investigation. Even the National Rifle Association, a reliable conservative ally, has defended Pretti, pointing to his concealed-carry permit. Lawmakers are now threatening to withhold funding for ICE, raising the prospect of another government shutdown.
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