As a political writer and analyst, we have to read between the lines at times to figure out what is really being said.
The situation in Minneapolis is a rather interesting one, in that we are seeing some hidden messages by both Tom Homan and the administration.
The latest one has me convinced that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem is living on borrowed time.
After the Renee Good and Pretti shootings, Trump had to do something get things calmed down, and that something was to remove Noem from Minnesota.
Border czar Tom Homan was sent in to clean up the mess, which in and of itself was a telling sign.
We have seen reports for months about friction between these two, and my amateur body language reading skills told me that Noem was not pleased.
During the cabinet meeting after she was pulled, she sat there with a stoic look and never said a word.
What I found very telling from Homan was a clear swipe at Noem, saying that he was not there for any photo-ops.
That, to me, was a clear reference to the “ICE Barbie” reputation Noem has developed in this position.
Homan was very direct about making changes and drawing down federal agents, stating, “I’ve been on the ground less than three full days. I’m staying until the problem’s gone, but we’ve made a lot of progress — a lot of progress — in the last few days.”
Then he took another silent jab at Noem and how things were handled to that point, stating, “We can do better. And I thank the local state leaders for meeting with me, we made some significant gains, significant coordination and cooperation, and you’re going to see some massive changes occurring here in this city.”
The last piece to this puzzle is a comment made by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who recently stated, “Tom Homan is the perfect guy to be in charge of Minneapolis, and that’s why President Trump sent him there. It was a great decision, and it’s proven true over the last two weeks.”
She later added, “What was happening before Tom showed up is that the local jails were refusing to hand over illegal aliens to ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] when they were being released.
She continued, 'That’s obviously unacceptable because Governor Walz and Mayor Frey were just allowing these very violent criminals to walk freely out of the jails and back into the community.”
She continued to gush over Homan in the interview, with the unsaid words being far more impactful than what she said. Without saying it, in my eyes, she called Noem incompetent, which is why I believe they are now trying to force Noem to step down. The administration needs something big, especially after that meme debacle. Noem could be it.
