President Donald Trump was in fine form earlier this month after the US military carried out a stunning raid that captured dictator Nicolas Maduro.
But just three weeks later, he faced significant resistance on several fronts, calling into question his economic, foreign relations and immigration policies. The second deadly shooting this weekend in Minnesota, at the hands of federal agents, has sparked widespread outrage that could mark a turning point.
“We’re starting to feel like we’re in the middle of a historic pivotal moment here,” said political scientist Lee Drutman, a senior fellow at the think tank New America. posted on.
Trump appeared to acknowledge his new situation, telling The Wall Street Journal As of Sunday evening, the administration is “reviewing everything” regarding the shooting and indicated a willingness to eventually remove immigration agents from Minneapolis.
A pullback could portend base erosion after Trump enjoyed broad support among Republicans through much of 2025, even as his aggressive tariffs shocked businesses and trading partners, including close U.S. allies.
But cracks appeared at the end of the year when the November election highlighted the affordability crisis and Congress ordered the release of the Epstein files following near-unanimous votes. Heavy redactions and the Justice Department’s failure to release all documents on time added to the tension.
The conversation quickly changed when Maduro was ousted, as Trump gloated over the competence of the US military and its newfound ability to take the lead in Venezuela, despite grumblings that another foreign intervention would deviate from his “America First” motto.
The Fed
Then, two weeks ago, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell released an unprecedented video statement revealing that he was faces criminal investigation by Justice Department linked to a project to renovate the central bank headquarters.
That ended a long-running feud between Powell and Trump, who repeatedly demanded rates be lower.
THE the reaction was quick as lawmakers sought to protect the Fed’s independence. Republican Senator Thom Tillis has vowed to block any nominations to the Fed, including for Powell’s replacement, until the matter is resolved.
Other Republicans rallied behind Powellmarking another divergence from earlier Trump support. And after weeks of teasing that he would soon name a new Fed chairman, Trump has yet to officially propose a name.
Yet the resounding success of the Venezuela operation continued to bolster his confidence, and Trump threatened Iran while promising to help protesters take on the regime.
Greenland
But then the bravado spread to Greenland. After flirting with the idea of taking back the semi-autonomous Danish territory during his first term and last year, the insistence that the island belong to the United States became more urgent after Venezuela.
Several European countries, all NATO allies, then deployed troops to Greenland, ostensibly to show Trump they were prepared to secure it from China and Russia, who he said posed major threats.
But this angered Trump, who advertised prices against NATO countries unless they support his attempt to seize Greenland. This triggered an existential crisis for the transatlantic alliance, as Trump had also refused to rule out the use of the military.
At last week’s World Economic Forum in Davos, furious rounds of diplomacy took place to prevent Trump from being on the verge of breaking the nearly 80-year-old defense pact. Republicans like Tillis have also expressed support for NATO.
Canada and Europe have stood firm on protecting Greenland’s sovereignty, contrasting with a less combative approach during last year’s tariff battles, which resulted in a lopsided U.S.-EU trade deal that largely favors Trump.
On Wednesday, he reversed course, saying he would not impose NATO tariffs and claiming to have a “framework” agreement that grants the United States full access to Greenland. He later stated that the United States was negotiating sovereignty over parts of Greenland which host American military bases.
Minnesota
The furor had been building for weeks after Trump sent thousands of federal agents into the state to carry out his immigration crackdown.
Saturday’s shooting was the third in Minnesota this month, and the second fatal. It also followed days of reports that immigration agents were detaining young children, arresting U.S. citizens and forcing their way into homes without a court warrant.
The video evidence also clearly contradicts the Trump administration’s claim that Alex Pretti, who was a nurse at a veterans hospital, threatened the Border Patrol before being shot.
Silicon Valley workers expressed their anger, and Minnesota-based CEOs pleaded for de-escalation. Congressional Democrats have stepped up their opposition to an appropriations bill for the Department of Homeland Security. Meanwhile, more Republicans began to express some discomfort with the tactics of federal agents and demand hearings in Congress.
“I think the deaths of Americans, what we see on television, raises deep concerns about the tactics and the accountability of the federal government,” Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt told CNN on Sunday. “Americans don’t like what they’re seeing right now.”
Phil Scott, the Republican governor of Vermont, took the rhetoric further. In a post onHe said, Trump should suspend immigration operations to focus again on criminals. He also urged Congress and the courts to “restore constitutionality” in the absence of presidential action.
“It is not acceptable that American citizens are killed by federal agents for exercising their God-given and constitutional rights to protest their government,” he wrote. “At best, these federal immigration operations are a complete failure to coordinate acceptable public safety and law enforcement practices, training and leadership. At worst, they are deliberate federal intimidation and incitement against American citizens that results in the murder of Americans.”
