In a recent development, Donald Trump has made a significant leadership change following a tragic incident in Minnesota, where a protester was fatally shot by federal agents. This shift sees the President replacing the Border Patrol commander, even after previously commending his efforts.

Trump had earlier praised Gregory Bovino, who was at the forefront of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s strict immigration policies. However, he acknowledged that Bovino may have taken things too far in this particular situation.

In a conversation with Fox News prior to a rally in Clive, Iowa, Trump remarked, “Bovino is really good. He’s quite an assertive individual—sometimes that’s beneficial, though perhaps not in this case.”

He clarified, “It’s not about pulling back entirely, just making small adjustments. You make little changes.”

Following the incident, which involved the death of 37-year-old VA nurse Alex Pretti, Trump appointed Tom Homan, a seasoned ICE veteran and longtime rival of Noem, to oversee the immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota.

Discussing this new appointment, Trump shared with Fox, “We have Tom Homan there now, he’s great. He’s met with the governor, the mayor, and others. We’re aiming to de-escalate the situation a bit.”

The President was frustrated by Noem after she branded Pretti a ‘domestic terrorist’, according to reports.

Trump said of the killing: ‘This whole thing is terrible. I don’t like the fact that he was carrying a gun that was fully loaded … He had two magazines with him, and it’s pretty unusual. But nobody knows when they saw the gun, how they saw the gun, everything else.’

Representative Zach Nunn (R-IA) and his daughter Olympia look at U.S. President Donald Trump as he speaks, in Machine Shed restaurant in Urbandale, Iowa, on Tuesday

Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino observes a protest in Minneapolis on January 15

Pretti, 37, was shot dead by a Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis on Saturday during a targeted immigration enforcement operation

A screengrab from a video obtained by Reuters shows a law enforcement officer pinning down a man identified as Alex Pretti, before he was fatally shot when federal agents were trying to detain him in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., January 24

The President added that ‘both of them were terrible,’ referring to Renee Good, who was shot dead by ICE agents at a protest in Minneapolis on January 7.

He felt the tragedy particularly keenly because Good’s family were Trump voters.

‘I’m not sure about his parents, but I know [Good’s] parents were big Trump fans,’ Trump added.

‘It makes me feel bad anyway, but I mean, I guess you could say even worse. They were tremendous Trump people, Trump fans, and, you know, the daughter was, she was, I don’t know if you could say radicalized, maybe radicalized.’

Trump said earlier he was standing by Noem despite ordering Homan to oversee the Minnesota operation and report directly to him. 

‘I think she’s doing a very good job,’ the President told reporters outside the White House on Tuesday.

‘The border is totally secure … we had a border that we inherited where millions of people were coming through, now we have a border where no one is coming through.’ 

The President met Noem late Sunday night and grilled her over her handling and initial response to the shooting, reports say.

Kristi Noem is facing Trump’s wrath as he orders her longtime rival, border czar Tom Homan, to clean up the chaos caused by her immigration crackdown in Minneapolis 

Noem’s adviser and rumored lover Corey Lewandowski was by her side at the Oval Office summit which was attended by White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.

By the end of the night, Noem was ordered to shift her focus away from interior immigration enforcement operations and instead concentrate on securing the Southern Border.

Despite the furor, Noem is expected to keep her job – for now. 

Noem’s law enforcement ally on the ground, Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino, was also withdrawn along with scores of his agents. Initially, Noem and Lewandowski elevated Bovino to oversee high-profile immigration raids in U.S. urban centers including Los Angeles, Chicago and, most recently, Minneapolis.

The decision stirred internal anger among immigration agents aligned with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) because those operations traditionally fell under their jurisdiction, not Border Patrol’s.

Bovino was sent packing to California on Monday night as Homan prepared to take over ground operation of Minneapolis. The Daily Mail can confirm that Border Patrol Commissioner Rodney Scott revoked Bovino’s access to government-issued social media accounts. 

Bovino’s removal from Minneapolis underscores Noem’s fading standing with the White House as Trump dispatches Homan and his closest allies to seize control of the operation on the ground.

A Border Patrol veteran of 30 years, Bovino was selected last year from his role as chief patrol agent of the agency’s El Centro sector in Southern California to lead highly publicized immigration crackdowns across the country.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks during a news conference in Blaine, Minn., Sunday

Noem with her close adviser and rumored lover Corey Lewandowski (right)

Bovino’s leadership of highly visible federal crackdowns, including operations that sparked mass demonstrations in Los Angeles, Chicago, Charlotte and Minneapolis, has drawn fierce criticism from local officials, civil rights advocates and congressional Democrats.

He often stood out as the only agent not wearing a face covering when Border Patrol descended on Home Depots and gas stations.

Bovino has gone viral on social media as he is frequently spotted on the frontlines sporting a severe buzzcut and trench coat, which German media has likened to a ‘Nazi aesthetic’.

California Governor Gavin Newsom said on X: ‘Greg Bovino dressed up as if he literally went on eBay and purchased SS garb. Greg Bovino, secret police, private army, masked men, people disappearing quite literally, no due process.’

Bovino hit back, claiming he had the coat for more than 25 years and it was official Border Patrol merchandise.

Jenn Budd, an author and expert on Border Patrol, described Bovino as ‘the Liberace’ of the agency.

‘He was just a little Napoleon who wants you to think that he is the most moral and capable guy in the world, and everything around you is dangerous but he’s the one who’s going to save you,’ Budd told The Times. ‘It’s all a show for him.’

He once invited journalists to watch him swim across a canal in Southern California’s Imperial Valley in a bid to deter migrants considering the crossing.

After Trump was re-elected Bovino used similar public relations expertise to catch the president’s eye.

He sent dozens of agents to arrest migrants at gas stations along the highway ahead of Trump’s inauguration.

Asked why Bovino was chosen to lead the force, DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin told reporters bluntly: ‘ Because he’s a badass.’

But while Bovino’s strongman image earned him Trump’s respect, his self-proclaimed ‘turn and burn’ enforcement strategies have sparked concern.

A federal judge accused Bovino in November of being ‘evasive’ and at times ‘outright lying’ in sworn testimony about an immigration crackdown in Chicago, finding his account ‘simply not credible.’

Judge Sara Ellis wrote that Bovino even admitted he lied about being hit with a rock before ordering tear gas used, and noted that video evidence flatly contradicted his claim that he never tackled a protester.