Demonstrators clash with ICE in Minneapolis, intensifying protests
Protests intensified in Minneapolis as thousands of people clashed with ICE over enforcement tactics following a fatal shooting.
Jimmy Kimmel is making a business offer to the president.
The outspoken late night host criticized President Donald Trump for his administration’s response to protests in Minneapolis on an episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Thursday, January 15th.
Clashes between demonstrators and federal agents escalated in a Midwestern city Wednesday after federal agents shot and killed a Venezuelan man accused of fleeing a traffic stop and attacking officers. The shooting occurred a week after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed a 37-year-old woman identified as Renee Nicole Good during a confrontation.
As tensions escalate in Minnesota, President Trump on Thursday threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act, which would give him authority to deploy U.S. troops into the country.
“A good president today, a normal president, would try to find a way to de-escalate the situation, but not Donald,” Kimmel, 58, said, jokingly adding, “He’s heated up about everything but his wife.”
Kimmel offered a series of past career awards in exchange for withdrawing ICE troops from Minneapolis in an unofficial attempt to quell the “unnecessary brutality” associated with President Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration.
The TV host referenced President Trump’s recent award of Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Colina Machado’s 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, and brought up statuettes to persuade the president, including the 1999 Daytime Emmy Award, the Writers Guild of America trophy, the 2016 Webby Award, and the 2015 Soul Train Award for Best White Man.
“Mr. Trump loves awards. The only way to get him to do something is to give him an award,” Kimmel said. “The choice is yours. In exchange for leaving the people of Minneapolis alone, I will personally deliver some or all of these to the Oval Office.”
White House communications director Stephen Chan responded to Kimmel’s offer in a Friday
Kimmel’s latest attack on President Trump echoes his comments earlier this week.
In a late-night monologue on January 12, he condemned President Trump’s “continued war on Minneapolis” and praised “patriotic Americans” who protested ICE immigration enforcement after Goode’s death.
Kimmel also criticized Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for doubling down on her accusation that Goode committed domestic terrorism during the standoff with ICE.
“This is what they want us to believe,” Kimmel said. “We need to portray protesters as violent and dangerous, even if they’re mothers in Hondas.”
This story has been updated to add new information.
Contributors: Christopher Cann, Thao Nguyen, Jeanine Santucci, Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY
