Tim Walz says Trump administration wants to 'twist reality' in Minnesota

By Juana Summers,

Megan Lim, Ashley Brown, William Troop

Published January 30, 2026 at 2:03 PM MST

Updated January 30, 2026 at 3:15 PM MST

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is skeptical about many things the Trump administration is saying about de-escalating its immigration crackdown in his state.

"I know who I'm dealing with. I know that they're not going to keep their word," Walz tells NPR.

Walz, a Democrat, sat down with All Things Considered host Juana Summers on Friday following weeks of protests and the deadly shootings of Renee Macklin Good and Alex Pretti.

Walz says he still wants to "find a way forward"– with a caveat.

"I'm not going to compromise on the First Amendment. I'm not going to allow [Trump administration border czar] Tom Homan to characterize what are constitutionally protected rights of peaceful expression of grievance against the government. It's foundational to our democracy."

Listen to the full interview by clicking on the blue play button above. Or watch the full interview by clicking on the video above.

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Juana Summers

Juana Summers is a political correspondent for NPR covering race, justice and politics. She has covered politics since 2010 for publications including Politico, CNN and The Associated Press. She got her start in public radio at KBIA in Columbia, Mo., and also previously covered Congress for NPR.

See stories by Juana Summers

Megan Lim

Ashley Brown

Ashley Brown is a senior editor for All Things Considered.

See stories by Ashley Brown

William Troop

William Troop is a supervising editor at All Things Considered. He works closely with everyone on the ATC team to plan, produce and edit shows 7 days a week. During his 30+ years in public radio, he has worked at NPR, at member station WAMU in Washington, and at The World, the international news program produced at station GBH in Boston. Troop was born in Mexico, to Mexican and Nicaraguan parents. He spent most of his childhood in Italy, where he picked up a passion for soccer that he still nurtures today. He speaks Spanish and Italian fluently, and is always curious to learn just how interconnected we all are.