Trump Meets With Noem for 2 Hours in Oval Office

Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem met with President Trump in the Oval Office for two hours Monday evening, reports the New York Times. It's seen as the latest sign of Trump's quick pivot on Minneapolis after a bipartisan backlash over the shooting of protester Alex Pretti. Noem's job appears safe, according to the Times, but she has been essentially replaced in Minneapolis by border czar Tom Homan. Also out of Minneapolis is Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino. Both he and Noem, along with Stephen Miller, had quickly painted Pretti as a domestic terrorist out to kill federal agents, but the backlash ensued when video and eyewitnesses contradicted that narrative.

Trump fielded calls on Sunday from Republicans including Sen. Lindsey Graham warning him that the White House's immigration agenda was at risk because of the grim TV images, and that Trump needed to make moves quickly, reports the Wall Street Journal. Getting rid of Bovino was an easy first step, per Axios. "He's a cowboy, and it was a mess," a source familiar with the president's thinking tells the outlet. "It was only escalation, and no one was going to back down. Homan going in is a good thing. Someone needed to step in."

Trump also adopted a much friendlier tone toward Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz after the two spoke by phone on Monday. The Journal reports on part of a deal they struck: Trump would pull some federal agents out of the city if Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey provided more cooperation to the remaining agents who are trying to arrest people in the US illegally. The first agents are expected to leave on Tuesday. House Democrats, meanwhile, plan to open an investigation into Noem next week as part of a push to impeach her, reports the Washington Post.