On Monday, former President Donald Trump shared his thoughts on Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s recent announcement that he will not seek reelection, following increasing reports of fraudulent activities within the state.
Trump took to Truth Social on January 5 to express his views, stating: “Minnesota’s Corrupt Governor may leave office before his term concludes but, regardless, he won’t be running again because he got caught, REDHANDED, along with Ilhan Omar and some of his Somali allies, in embezzling Tens of Billions of Taxpayer Dollars. I am confident the truth will surface, exposing a deeply unethical and wealthy group of ‘SLIMEBALLS.’ Governor Walz has ruined Minnesota, but others, like Governor Gavin Newscum, JB Pritzker, and Kathy Hochul, have, in my view, performed even more dishonestly and incompetently. NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW!”
Walz’s choice to forgo a third term has stirred speculation about a potential political maneuver involving Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN). Reports suggest that Klobuchar, whose Senate term extends until 2030, has the opportunity to run for governor without risking her Senate seat. Columnist Dustin Grage from Townhall proposed that if Klobuchar were to win the gubernatorial race, she might appoint a successor for her Senate seat—potentially Walz himself. Grage depicted this as a strategic move to keep Walz in public service without facing voters.
For months, Walz’s administration has been shadowed by accusations of widespread fraud linked to public benefit programs in Minnesota. The focus largely rests on the state’s Somali community, with numerous cases of alleged fraud involving daycare and food programs, reportedly amounting to billions in misappropriated federal and state funds.
Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) has faced scrutiny due to her connections with individuals and businesses under investigation, notably involving her husband Tim Mynett’s venture capital firm, Rose Lake Capital. The firm discreetly removed several advisers’ names from its website in late 2025 as investigations intensified.
Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN) connections to individuals and businesses under investigation have drawn attention, including her husband Tim Mynett’s venture capital firm, Rose Lake Capital, which quietly scrubbed multiple advisers’ names from its website in late 2025 as investigations escalated.
The Trump administration’s Department of Health and Human Services responded by freezing childcare payments to Minnesota, citing what it called “blatant fraud” and initiating an audit of the programs involved. Deputy HHS Secretary Jim O’Neill required documentation for every federal payment and launched a national fraud-reporting hotline. The move came after citizen journalist Nick Shirley published videos showing deserted centers receiving public funding, including one that infamously misspelled “Learning” as “Learing” on its signage.
According to federal officials, as many as 85 Somali migrants have been charged in relation to the alleged fraud, with 60 convicted so far. On Monday, CBS News reported that the Department of Homeland Security has deployed roughly 2,000 federal agents to the Minneapolis-St. Paul area in a 30-day immigration enforcement surge. The operation includes agents from Homeland Security Investigations and ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations. Officials have indicated that the initiative may grow in scope as additional fraud cases are developed.
Walz has repeatedly pushed back against the fraud allegations and Trump’s involvement, accusing the president of politicizing the investigations and using them to undermine state programs. He called Trump’s actions “dangerous” and “depraved,” and wrote, “Trump’s using an issue he doesn’t give a damn about as an excuse to hurt working Minnesotans.” He also referred to Shirley as a “delusional conspiracy theorist.”
