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How a media mogul convinced Trump to rethink Minneapolis shooting response

Anti-ICE protesters gather outside Minnesota hotel after Bovino's removal from role
  • Rupert Murdoch's conservative media empire, including Fox News, is credited with helping to influence the president to tone down the narrative around his administration's immigration crackdown after Alex Pretti’s shooting death in Minneapolis.
  • Fox & Friends co-host Brian Kilmeade publicly urged the president to deploy border czar Tom Homan to Minneapolis to “settle things down,” a suggestion the president quickly acted upon.
  • Initially, Murdoch's media outlets, such as Fox News and The New York Post, echoed the administration's claims that Pretti had brandished a weapon, despite video evidence contradicting this.
  • Fox News' Bill Melugin, citing internal DHS sources, later reported that Pretti never drew his holstered firearm, prompting a significant shift in editorial stance across Murdoch's publications, including The Wall Street Journal.
  • This media pressure, alongside declining approval ratings for immigration policies, reportedly led the president to soften his approach, resulting in Homan's deployment, constructive calls with Minnesota officials, and the removal of Border Patrol commander-at-large Greg Bovino.
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