Trump blames "grossly incompetent" Minnesota for cyberattacks, despite feds investigating Iran's role

Though federal authorities in his own administration are investigating Iran's role in recent cyberattacks on Minnesota's water systems, President Trump on Friday said he blames the state itself.

"We heard in Minnesota there was a cyberattack and they blame it on Iran. I don't think so, I think I blame it on Minnesota because they're grossly incompetent," Mr. Trump said during a cabinet meeting. "There was a cyberattack of 30 water plants and I would blame it on Minnesota and the governor, the corrupt governor of Minnesota. They like to say, 'Oh, it was Iran.' Iran should be so lucky. Iran's got bigger problems than worrying about Minnesota."

In a response on social media, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said, "Trump knows exactly who is responsible for this attack, and knows that other states were hit too."

"This is what modern warfare looks like, and it further illustrates there's no plan to win a war with Iran," Walz added. "DOGE took an axe to CISA and left the U.S. exposed to cyber attacks. Thankfully, our experts in Minnesota were able to identify the vulnerability quickly and work with local communities to stop it."

Investigators are probing to determine whether the activity is the work of Iranian hackers, according to U.S. officials and sources familiar with the incident. Sources cautioned that since they had not definitively attributed the attack, their assessment could change as additional technical evidence is collected. They are also probing whether the actor could have attempted to appear Iran-based as a way of stirring the pot amid the ongoing U.S. conflict with Iran.

At least seven states were impacted by the cyberattacks, according to the FBI. Minnesota's water supply has not been reported compromised as a result of the attack, Minnesota Department of Public Safety spokesperson Mike Ersnter said. State and municipal officials are investigating, as well as the feds.

Mr. Trump's latest tirade continues a pattern of attacks on Minnesota, which has voted against him in the three presidential elections in which he has run. Past diatribes include racist comments about the state's Somali population, Islamophobic social media posts about kindergarteners and Rep. Ilhan Omar and the use of a slur against Walz.

While Walz has bowed out of Minnesota's gubernatorial race, Mr. Trump has endorsed leading Republican candidate Mike Lindell, who has been a close ally to the president for years. Neither the Republican nor Democratic nomination for the race is settled.