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Cain pressed further, referencing the Minneapolis situation and the deployment of border czar Tom Homan to the state.
“But you were asked, with the shift in Minneapolis and Tom Homan going to Minnesota, do you still have confidence in DHS Secretary Kristi Noem? You brought up the success at the border,” Cain asked.
Trump’s response was immediate and unambiguous.
“I do,” Trump responded.
Cain followed up to make sure there was no misunderstanding.
“You do?”
“Look, she was there with the border. Who closed up the border? She did with Tom Homan, with the whole group. I mean, they closed up the border. The border is a tremendous success, one of the most secure borders in the entire world. We were a laughingstock one and a half years ago for the whole world,” Trump answered.
The former president went on to paint a stark picture of what he says the nation endured before his immigration crackdown was restored.
“The whole world laughed at us. I had friends that said, is that real? You know, they’d look at a picture — you’ve been down to the border. They’d look at a picture of the border with hundreds of thousands of people pouring in like it was water. And they said, is that really — they can’t believe it. They think it’s one of these crazy movies that they make. The border was horrible. It was horrible,” he added.
Trump also used the moment to remind voters of what he considers his broader record of success, contrasting it with the current administration and the chaos Democrats now claim to oppose.
“You know, I did the border twice. The first time I won, 2016, I won on the border, but that border was nothing and I fixed it immediately. It was great. We had great years. And we had a great economy. We had the best economy in history in 2016, my first term. And we rebuilt the military and we got the largest regulation cuts. We had the best job number. We had a great first term. This term seems to be blowing it away,” Trump said.
WATCH:
Meanwhile, the family of Alex Pretti has begun speaking publicly about the days leading up to his death, offering a very different narrative than that provided by federal authorities. Pretti, an ICU nurse who worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs, was living in Minneapolis at the time of the shooting.
His parents, Michael and Susan Pretti, said they spoke with their son just days before the fatal encounter, discussing routine topics like home repairs and daily life. They described him as compassionate and generous, noting that he had recently given a large tip to a Latino worker who assisted with a garage door project — an act they said reflected his concern for others amid the immigration debate.
The Pretti family, who reside in Colorado, acknowledged they had warned their son to be careful if he chose to attend protests, particularly given the rising tensions surrounding immigration enforcement actions in the area.
“We had this discussion with him two weeks ago or so, you know, that go ahead and protest, but do not engage, do not do anything stupid, basically,” Michael told the AP.
“And he said he knows that,” Michael continued. “He knew that.”
After their son’s death was confirmed, the family released a statement describing Pretti as a “kind-hearted soul” and forcefully rejecting the Department of Homeland Security’s account of the shooting. They accused the agency of dishonesty and said the official explanation only compounded their grief.
“We are heartbroken but also very angry,” the statement began. “Alex wanted to make a difference in this world. Unfortunately he will not be with us to see his impact.”
As Democrats push impeachment rhetoric and legacy media outlets amplify the controversy, Trump and Republicans are drawing a clear line: border security remains a priority, law enforcement deserves support, and political blame games will not replace results. Whether the Minneapolis incident fuels further division or becomes another flashpoint in the immigration debate remains to be seen—but Trump’s message was unmistakable. Kristi Noem has his full backing.
