President rushes back from G7 summit as FBI hunts Trump-voting gunman who killed Democratic lawmaker and wounded another in ‘politically motivated’ attack
President Donald Trump has sensationally refused to call Minnesota Governor Tim Walz after a political assassination that left a Democratic state lawmaker and her husband dead – dismissing the former VP candidate as “so whacked out” and “a mess”.
In an extraordinary break with presidential tradition, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One early Tuesday morning that calling Walz would be a “waste of time,” even as the FBI hunted for the gunman who murdered former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark.
“I think the governor of Minnesota is so whacked out, I’m not calling him,” Trump said as he flew back to Washington after abruptly leaving the G7 Summit in Canada due to rising Middle East tensions. “Why would I call him? I could call and say ‘hey, how you doing?’ The guy doesn’t have a clue, he’s a mess.”
The president added: “So I could be nice and call him but why waste time?”
TRUMP VOTER TURNED ASSASSIN
In a stunning twist, the suspected gunman – 57-year-old Vance Boelter – was revealed by his best friend to be a “strong supporter” of President Trump who voted for him in the last election.
David Carlson, who shared a house with Boelter in Minneapolis, told reporters: “He voted for Trump. He was a strong supporter.”
The revelation demolished attempts by some Republicans to paint Boelter as a left-wing extremist, with Senator Mike Lee of Utah having speculated that Boelter was motivated by “Marxist” ideology – a claim for which no evidence has emerged.
WALZ’S BOARD APPOINTEE
Adding another layer to the controversy, Trump pointed out that Boelter had been appointed by Walz to the Minnesota Governor’s Workforce Development Board in 2019.
“The guy doesn’t have a clue,” Trump said of Walz. “The Minnesota shooting suspect, 57-year-old Vance Boelter, who was apprehended late Sunday, had been a Walz appointee.”
However, fact-checkers noted that Boelter was first appointed to the board in 2016 by Walz’s predecessor, Democratic Governor Mark Dayton. The board has about 60 members and is a nonpartisan advisory body – not a position in the governor’s office or cabinet.
BIDEN CALLED ‘RIGHT AWAY’
The snub was made even more pointed by the fact that former President Joe Biden called Walz “right away” after the attack, according to sources. The conversation was described as “compassionate.”
Vice President JD Vance did speak with Walz on Saturday, becoming the only member of the Trump administration to reach out directly to the governor.
THE DEADLY ATTACKS
The horrific violence began around 2 a.m. Saturday when Boelter, posing as a police officer, shot State Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette multiple times at their Champlin home.
Yvette Hoffman heroically saved her daughter’s life by throwing herself on top of her as bullets flew. Both Hoffmans survived after emergency surgery, with Yvette later texting that her husband “took 9 bullet hits” while she “took 8.”
About 90 minutes later, police officers who went to check on Rep. Melissa Hortman encountered Boelter – dressed in police gear with body armor – at her Brooklyn Park home. He opened fire on officers before fleeing, leaving the Hortmans dead inside.
HIT LIST OF 70 DEMOCRATS
Inside Boelter’s abandoned vehicle, which was fitted with emergency lights to resemble a police car, investigators found a chilling “manifesto” and a hit list containing about 70 names.
The list included prominent Minnesota Democrats such as:
- Governor Tim Walz
- U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar
- U.S. Senator Tina Smith
- Attorney General Keith Ellison
Many on the list were outspoken supporters of abortion rights, and the list also included abortion providers and activists from multiple states.
ANTI-ABORTION ZEALOT
Friends revealed Boelter as a devout evangelical Christian with deeply conservative views who had preached against abortion during missionary work in Africa.
The churches are so messed up, they don’t know abortion is wrong in many churches,” Boelter said in a 2023 sermon in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Carlson told the New York Times that Boelter was “a conservative who voted for President Donald Trump and was strongly against abortion rights.
‘I MAY BE DEAD SOON’
In a chilling text message sent to his roommates at 6 a.m. Saturday, Boelter wrote: “David and Ron, I love you guys. I’ve made some choices and you guys don’t know anything about this, but I’m going to be gone for a while. I may be dead shortly.”
The message prompted Carlson to immediately call police.
TRUMP’S INITIAL RESPONSE
Despite refusing to call Walz, Trump did condemn the violence on Saturday, saying: “Such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America. God Bless the great people of Minnesota, a truly great place!”
Attorney General Pam Bondi said the FBI was on the ground investigating what “appears to be a targeted attack against state lawmakers.
LARGEST MANHUNT IN STATE HISTORY
Boelter was captured Sunday night in a field in Sibley County after what authorities called the largest manhunt in Minnesota history, involving hundreds of officers and 20 SWAT teams.
He has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted second-degree murder, with federal prosecutors considering additional charges that could carry the death penalty.
WALZ RESPONDS
At a Saturday press conference, Walz called the shootings “an act of targeted political violence” and said “we don’t settle our differences with violence or at gunpoint.
He ordered flags flown at half-staff for Hortman, calling her “a formidable public servant, a fixture and a giant in Minnesota” who “woke up every day determined to make this state a better place.
PRESIDENTIAL TRADITION SHATTERED
Presidents have historically called state and local politicians on both sides of the aisle to lend support after violent tragedies. Trump’s refusal to do so marks an extraordinary break with that tradition.
When asked Sunday if he planned to reach out, Trump had initially left the door open, telling ABC News: “Well, it’s a terrible thing. I think he’s a terrible governor. I think he’s a grossly incompetent person. But I may, I may call him, I may call other people too.”
By Tuesday, his mind was made up: no call would be made to the governor whose state had just suffered one of the worst acts of political violence in its history.
