Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey calls for fight against federal overreach as Trump delivers State of the Union
In a counterprogramming event to President Trump's State of the Union address Tuesday night, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called on elected officials and citizens alike to "stand up for the foundational principles that bind us together."
In his speech at the "State of the Swamp" event, Frey decried federal overreach and called for a bipartisan unity against what he described as an attack on democracy itself.
"This is not about partisanship. You all know that very well," Frey said. "It's not Democratic to believe in the Constitution. It's not Republican to believe in due process. It is not liberal or conservative to think you should be able to walk down the street without being questioned because of the color of your skin."
Frey spent much of his speech chiding the Trump administration for the surge of federal immigration agents in Minneapolis that began in December. He also lauded his city for its response.
"Over the past two months, Minneapolis has faced fear at our doorsteps and pressure from beyond our borders. The federal government militarized ICE and sent them into our city, violence got worse, the death toll rose and residents lived in fear," Frey said. "But something else happened, too. Minneapolis did not bow. We did not break. We did not betray our neighbors. Residents showed up for one another in subzero temperatures. They created safety networks and mutual aid systems. They stood up in courtrooms and community centers. They met fear with something even greater than resistance. They met fear with love."
The mayor called on other cities to follow Minneapolis' model.
"Minneapolis has shown the world that the forces of terror and division can never conquer a city that loves its neighbors more than it fears retribution," he said. "That spirit does not belong to one city, it belongs to America."
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson also spoke during the oppositional event, calling Mr. Trump's speech "just ramblings and incoherent phrases of nothing."
Mr. Trump did not directly comment on Minneapolis during his speech, but did tout his immigration crackdown and made unfounded allegations that "Somali pirates ... ransacked" and "pillaged" Minnesota. This prompted Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, who is Somali, to call the president a "liar" and accuse him of "killing Americans."
