WATCH: Leavitt doubts whether Gov. Walz's offer to speak with Trump is 'genuine' - PBS NewsHour (3 videos)

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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that she's "not sure" if Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz's calls to speak with Donald Trump directly over the unrest in Minnesota are "a genuine offer."

Her answer came in response to a question from PBS News White House correspondent Liz Landers about Walz’s attempts to reach the president, and why the two leaders have not spoken if there’s a desire to de-escalate clashes between Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and protesters.

Leavitt noted that, as of 30 minutes before Thursday’s White House news briefing, Trump had not spoken with Walz. The Minnesota governor was the 2024 Democratic vice-presidential nominee, running with Kamala Harris against Trump and JD Vance.“

The president is always willing to answer the phone when people pick up and call,” Leavitt said. “When there was another tragic shooting many months ago in Governor Walz’s state, he spoke directly with the governor. But I would ask that the governor stops inciting the harassment and illegal obstruction of law enforcement in his state.”

Leavitt said that ICE agents are trying to remove “illegal alien criminals” from the state.

“[The governor] should pick up the phone, and he should say that he will cooperate with this president and with the federal government in making Minnesota safer because that's all President Trump and his administration want to do,” Leavitt said.

Protests in Minnesota were launched in response to the federal government’s deployment of ICE agents. They grew after an agency official shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Good last week. - Aired on 01/15/2026.





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