Governor Tim Walz’s past attack on President Trump’s law-and-order efforts in Democrat-led cities looks particularly insensible after a deadly mass shooting at a Minneapolis church. The violence that unfolded exposed the limits of preaching ideology while public safety crumbled.
On Wednesday, a gunman entered Annunciation Church in Minneapolis during a back-to-school Mass. Armed with multiple weapons, he barricaded doors and opened fire through the windows. The attack claimed the lives of two young children, aged 8 and 10, and left two more in critical condition.
Just one day prior, a shooting behind Cristo Rey Jesuit High School left seven individuals wounded and one dead, described by a witness as a “blood shower.” These events underscore a violent pattern afflicting the city.
In remarks delivered at the Democratic National Committee’s summer session, Governor Walz had condemned the Trump administration’s deployment of the National Guard to Democratic-run cities. He labeled the effort “cruel,” “fascist,” and an unconstitutional contempt for the “rule of law,” adding, “This cruelty must end.” He contrasted “law of the jungle” with “human decency.”
But with the recent carnage, many now question whether rejecting federal reinforcements had unintended consequences.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey expressed resistance to Trump’s approach, stating that if attempted in his city, it would be “a blatantly illegal usurpation of local control.” He pledged to seek injunctive relief if such attempts were made.
In contrast, President Trump’s federal takeover of law enforcement in Washington, D.C.—including deployment of the National Guard—yielded tangible results: at least 12 days without murders following the intervention.
That outcome now casts Walz’s earlier critique in a more troubling light among conservative observers.
