Tim Walz says Trump administration wants to ‘twist reality’ in Minnesota

VPM | By Juana Summers, Megan Lim, Ashley Brown and William Troop

Published January 30, 2026 at 9:03 PM EST

Updated January 30, 2026 at 17:15 PM ET

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 co-host of NPR's All Things Considered, alongside Ailsa Chang, Ari Shapiro and Mary Louise Kelly. She joined All Things Considered in June 2022.

Summers previously spent more than a decade covering national politics, most recently as NPR's political correspondent covering race, justice and politics.

She covered the 2012, 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, and has also previously covered Congress for NPR. Her work has appeared in a variety of publications across multiple platforms, including Politico, CNN, Mashable and The Associated Press.

In 2016, Summers was a fellow at the Georgetown University Institute of Politics and Public Service.

She got her start in public radio at KBIA in Columbia, Mo., on the campus of the University of Missouri. She is a graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism, and is originally from Kansas City, Mo.

See stories by Juana Summers