Karoline Leavitt pressed on whether Tom Homan’s Minnesota visit signals trouble for Kristi Noem

WASHINGTON, DC: White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt fielded sharp questions on Monday, January 26, about whether Tom Homan’s visit to Minnesota signals trouble for Kristi Noem.

The scrutiny followed reports confirming that President Donald Trump is sending Homan to oversee ICE operations in the state and work with investigators on a major fraud probe. Reporters also pressed Leavitt on whether the move reflects waning confidence in Noem, as anti-ICE protests have spread across parts of Minneapolis. 

Trump backs Kristi Noem amid Tom Homan deployment

NBC News White House correspondent Gabe Gutierrez asked Leavitt whether President Donald Trump’s decision to send Tom Homan to Minneapolis reflected dissatisfaction with officials on the ground.

“Should the deployment of Mr Homan to Minneapolis be seen as a sign that the President is dissatisfied with how the officials on the ground have handled the incident?” he asked.

Leavitt rejected that suggestion, saying, “No. Mr Homan is doing an exceptional job, and he has been working with Secretary Noem and President Trump over the course of the last year.” 

Reporters continued to press Leavitt on Kristi Noem’s standing with the president, including whether Trump still trusts her leadership at the Department of Homeland Security. “Are you fully confident in Kristi Noem’s ability to lead the DHS?” one reporter asked.

Leavitt responded, “Yes … To your first question, the answer is yes. He still has confidence and trust in Secretary Noem.”

Another reporter asked whether Noem had made any mistake that prompted Homan’s upcoming visit. Leavitt denied that claim and emphasized Homan’s ongoing role. “No, look, as I already mentioned, Mr Homan has been working alongside Secretary Noem and for the president over the course of the last year. And again, he’s uniquely positioned to hop on a flight to Minnesota today to continue this correspondence with state and local authorities. And that’s what he’s going to be doing,” she said.

Kristi Noem celebrates Tom Homan's visit to Minnesota

The White House faced tough questions as riots and large protests continued to spread across Minnesota following the deaths of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti. Good was killed earlier in January when an ICE agent shot her after she struck an officer with her car. Pretti, an ICU nurse, was shot by a federal agent on Saturday, sparking further anger and demonstrations. 

Democratic leaders in the state, including Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, urged ICE and other federal immigration officials to withdraw from the state entirely as unrest grew.

President Donald Trump recently announced that veteran ICE official Tom Homan would be sent to Minneapolis on Monday, January 26. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said, “I’m sending Tom Homan to Minnesota tonight. He has not been involved in that area, but knows and likes many of the people there. Tom is tough but fair and will report directly to me.”

Kristi Noem welcomed Homan’s upcoming arrival in a statement on X, calling it “good news for peace, safety and accountability in Minneapolis.”

She added, “I have worked closely with Tom over the last year and he has been a major asset to our team, his experience and insight will help us in our wide-scale fraud investigations, which have robbed Americans, and will help us to remove even more public safety threats and violent criminal illegal aliens off the streets of Minneapolis.”

“We continue to call on the leadership in Minnesota to allow for state and local partnership in our public safety mission. Thank you Mr President,” she concluded.