(C) Minnesota Reformer This story was originally published by Minnesota Reformer and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Walz: I anticipate Trump will send troops to Minnesota • Minnesota Reformer [1] ['Michelle Griffith', 'Madison Mcvan', 'More From Author', 'October', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow', 'Class', 'Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus', 'Display Inline', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar', 'Where Img'] Date: 2025-10-07 Gov. Tim Walz said he anticipates President Donald Trump will send troops to the Twin Cities as part of the president’s campaign to target Democratic-led cities under the pretext of stamping out violent crime. “It’d be logical for them to come here. We fall into exactly what it looks like they’re trying to target — blue cities in places that he wants to make an impact,” said Walz, who was speaking at a high-dollar business summit hosted by the Minnesota Star Tribune Tuesday. Walz’s dark premonition comes as Trump deployed Texas National Guard troops to Illinois Tuesday. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who also appeared on the Strib panel the same day the troops arrived in his state, said the National Guard troops were assembling at a training center in Ellwood, Illinois, about an hour away from Chicago. Illinois has sued to stop Trump’s deployment, and a court hearing on the motion is scheduled for Thursday. The court refused to immediately block Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops “They are not on the streets of Chicago. I’m not getting any information directly from the government or from the National Guard. They’ve been federalized,” Pritzker said. “We don’t know exactly where this is going to end. What we know is that it is striking fear in the hearts of everybody in Chicago.” Pritzker, who is a potential Democratic presidential candidate, said Trump’s claim of rampant crime across Chicago was “complete b.s.,” and Trump was “out of his mind and has dementia.” Walz added: “I think it’s really important for the citizens to see — this is not normal.” Walz’s prediction of soldiers on the streets of the Twin Cities comes on the day new reporting indicates crime is falling in Minneapolis across all major categories. In June, Trump deployed the National Guard to California to quell protests against immigration raids. He also sent troops to Washington D.C., using crime rates and a large homeless population as the pretext. Earlier this week, Trump attempted to send troops to Portland, Oregon, before a federal judge stopped him. Throughout the bleak, 45-minute panel discussion, the two governors described a federal government hellbent on growing its own power and quashing its political enemies. The pair also described how states have a limited ability to combat the feds, though governors of the Democratic states are seen as a key bulwark against Trump. Walz and Pritzker said now is the time to face the federal government head-on, especially because Trump is becoming more brazen. “It’s not easy not to choose to be an upstander, but this is exactly the moment for people to stand up,” Pritzker said. The two joked about Trump arresting them, but when pressed, said it’s possible. The governors were also asked about how Democrats can win future elections. Walz said Democrats can’t merely oppose Trump — they need to show their positive vision for the country. Both governors said Democrats need to run on kitchen table economic issues before they campaign on issues like upholding democracy in the U.S. Walz, who is running for an unprecedented, third, four-year term said if he wins next year he will not run for president. Pritzker said he hasn’t decided on a presidential run. He said he’d struggle to leave the people of Illinois at this political moment. “I do not feel like I can abandon the people of my state in this moment, especially with Donald Trump as president,” Pritzker said. [END] --- [1] Url: https://minnesotareformer.com/2025/10/07/walz-i-anticipate-trump-will-send-troops-to-minnesota/ Published and (C) by Minnesota Reformer Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons License CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/MnReformer/