Trump has made several controversial comments about Minneapolis, most recently around a fatal ICE shooting of a woman there, and earlier during the 2020 George Floyd protests. His remarks have focused on defending law enforcement, blaming “radical” opponents, and using harsh language about unrest and protesters.

Recent ICE shooting comments

In January 2026, Trump reacted to video of an ICE agent fatally shooting a 37‑year‑old woman in south Minneapolis during an immigration operation. He publicly sided with ICE and portrayed the woman and nearby demonstrators as dangerous.

Key points of what he said about Minneapolis in this context:

  • He claimed the woman “viciously ran over the ICE Officer” and described her as “very disorderly, obstructing and resisting,” even though video shared publicly did not clearly show an officer being run over.
  • He called the video “a horrible thing to watch” but framed the shooting as likely self‑defense by the agent.
  • He said such incidents happen because the “Radical Left is threatening, assaulting, and targeting” law enforcement and ICE, casting Minneapolis as a place where officers are under siege by political opponents.

Local officials and witnesses in Minneapolis strongly disputed that narrative, calling the official story “propaganda,” “garbage,” or worse, and saying the victim was a legal observer, not a violent attacker.

Earlier remarks about Minneapolis protests

Trump’s most widely known comments about Minneapolis came during the 2020 protests after the murder of George Floyd, when national attention was focused on the city. Those remarks shaped much of the online forum and “what did Trump say about Minneapolis” discussion that still circulates.

Notable lines and themes:

  • He referred to some Minneapolis protesters as “thugs” while promising to “bring the city under control,” tying Minneapolis to lawlessness and breakdown of order.
  • In a tweet about unrest there, he used the phrase “when the looting starts, the shooting starts,” which was widely criticized as glorifying or encouraging violence and even drew a warning label from a major social platform.
  • After criticism, he later said he did not want violence and tried to recast the phrase as a warning rather than an endorsement, but the original wording continued to drive backlash and debate about his approach to Minneapolis and protests.

How it’s discussed online now

Recent forum and social discussions around “what did Trump say about Minneapolis” often blend these two eras of comments: the 2020 protest rhetoric and the 2026 ICE‑shooting reactions.

Common online angles include:

  • Critiques that Trump repeatedly portrays Minneapolis as chaotic or “burned down,” which Minnesotans mock with sarcastic posts about their supposedly destroyed city.
  • Debates over whether his language about “thugs,” “looting,” and “Radical Left” opponents endangers residents and protesters versus those who argue he is simply defending law enforcement in a city facing real unrest.

TL;DR: Trump has described Minneapolis as a place of serious disorder, calling some protesters “thugs,” saying “when the looting starts, the shooting starts,” and, more recently, insisting an ICE agent in Minneapolis shot a woman in self‑defense while blaming “Radical Left” opponents for violence.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.