DHS’ Kristi Noem Sends Bold Message to Tim Walz

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem forcefully pushed back against CNN anchor Jake Tapper during a contentious interview over her remarks following the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in Minnesota.

After the Minneapolis incident, Noem stated at a news conference that Good was engaging in “domestic terrorism” and attempting to “weaponize her vehicle” against federal officers. Tapper challenged those comments, arguing they were made before any formal investigation had begun.

“Well, everything that I‘ve said has been proven to be factual and the truth,” Noem said. “This administration wants to operate in transparency. I have the responsibility as the secretary of Homeland Security to know this information as soon as possible.

“I had just been in Minneapolis the day before, had already had conversations with officers on the ground and supervisors, and knew the facts and decided that the department and the people of this country deserve to know the truth about the situation of what had unfolded in Minneapolis,” she continued.

Tapper pressed back, summarizing her initial account of the incident and disputing its accuracy.

“With all due respect, Secretary, the first thing you said was, ‘what happened was our ICE officers were out in an enforcement action. They got stuck in the snow because of the adverse weather that is in Minneapolis. They were attempting to push out their vehicle and a woman attacked them and those surrounding them and attempted to run them over and ram them with her vehicle,'” Tapper said. “That‘s not what happened. We all saw what happened.”

“It absolutely is what happened,” Noem replied.

Noem said evidence showed Good had deliberately attempted to block the roadway, interfere with federal law enforcement operations, and then use her vehicle as a weapon against ICE agents. Tapper continued to question her use of the term “domestic terrorist,” arguing that interpretations of the video footage differed and that conclusions were being drawn too quickly, Fox News reported.

“And the question is, I don‘t doubt…my position is I wasn‘t there,” Tapper said. “I didn‘t see it. Some people say that it clearly showed that she was trying to hit him and did. Some people say no, she was clearly trying to move her car and flee and get away. I don‘t know. What I‘m saying is, how do you know? How can you assert for a fact within hours before any investigation this is what happened?”

Noem did not back down.

“The facts of the situation are that the vehicle was weaponized, and it attacked the law enforcement officer. He defended himself, and he defended those individuals around him. That is the definition. When there is something that is weaponized to use against the public and law enforcement, that is an act of domestic terrorism happened in our shores. It happened here in our country. You don‘t get to change the facts just because you don‘t like them,” Noem said.

She added that a formal investigation into the incident is ongoing.

The exchange grew more heated when Noem accused Tapper of presenting an “untruthful” version of events, prompting further pushback from the CNN host.

“We’ve all seen the video. I don‘t need to relitigate it. We‘ve all seen the video. She is blocking the street. They approach her,” Tapper said.

“You haven‘t seen the video of the entire morning in the previous encounters with this individual,” Noem responded.

“We have aired it. Yes, we have. On Thursday, we were airing and noting the fact that she was there for several minutes, for minutes and minutes and minutes. She was protesting without question,” Tapper replied.

“At those previous locations that morning, that, absolutely, that these vehicles had been previously down the block on video that you haven‘t seen. There’s more information,” Noem said.

The clash underscored the growing divide between the Trump administration’s hardline stance on immigration enforcement and legacy media outlets that continue to question federal authority and officer conduct, even as evidence and internal briefings emerge.