NEW: Trump Threatens To Invoke the Insurrection Act

Summary

Podcast Summary: Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes Present

Episode: NEW: Trump Threatens To Invoke the Insurrection Act
Air Date: January 15, 2026
Hosts: Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes
Production: iHeartPodcasts

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Episode Overview

In this urgent episode, Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes break down the unprecedented development of former President Donald Trump publicly threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act in response to ongoing unrest in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The hosts contextualize the situation with recent local violence, the usage of inflammatory rhetoric by government officials, and what this might mean for the country as tempers flare on all sides. The discussion also delves into the legality and historical precedent of the Insurrection Act, reactions from Minnesota state officials, and the deep polarization reflected in the latest polls.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Trump Threatens to Invoke the Insurrection Act

• Setting the Stage: The episode opens as T.J. and Amy react in real-time to Trump’s Truth Social post, threatening use of the Insurrection Act if Minnesota officials do not quell protestors (01:03–02:07).
• Historical & Legal Context:
  • T.J. reviews the origins and requirements of the Insurrection Act, dating back to the 1800s (02:07–02:50).
  • Amy clarifies that invoking it empowers the military to perform roles usually reserved for civilian law enforcement (02:50–03:26).

2. Escalation in Minneapolis

• Recent Unrest:
  • Amy discusses two police shootings within a week that have led to significant street protests and escalated tensions (03:54–04:16).
  • T.J. references officials like Deputy AG Todd Blanche and President Trump using terms like “Minnesota insurrection” and calling state and city leaders “terrorists” (04:16–05:02).

3. Politicization and Public Messaging

• Reading Trump’s Statement:
  • Amy reads Trump’s Truth Social threat on-air, emphasizing its confrontational tone (05:24).
• Historical Precedent for the Insurrection Act:
  • The hosts cite its rare historical use, notably for enforcing desegregation and the 1992 Rodney King riots, typically in partnership with local officials (05:59–06:47).
• Comparison to Past Crises:
  • Both hosts stress that current unrest, while intense, does not match the severity of events like the LA riots or even the George Floyd protests (06:51–07:35).

4. Political Standoff & Communication Breakdown

• Breakdown in Leadership Dialog:
  • Governor Walz of Minnesota attempts, unsuccessfully, to contact President Trump directly, instead appealing via social media, urging to “turn the temperature down” (08:00–08:36).
  • Caroline Leavitt, at a press briefing, dismisses Walz’s overture as insincere and frames Democratic leaders as uncooperative (08:38–09:49).
  • T.J. criticizes both national and state leaders for appearing more invested in political theater and blame-shifting than in resolution (09:05–11:54).

5. Electoral Calculus and Partisan Gridlock

• Elections Over Solutions:
  • Both hosts lament that political posturing for upcoming midterms seems to override attempts at genuine communication or solutions (12:40–13:00).
  • Amy: “It’s all about reelection and proving to the people who are going to head to the polls and motivating people to go to the polls that you’re the reason why they want to vote.” (12:45)

6. On-the-Ground Conditions in Minneapolis

• Escalation and Risks:
  • The scene in Minneapolis is described as “ugly,” with confrontations between protesters and ICE agents, use of chemical irritants, and protesters targeting agents and their lodgings (14:24–15:41).
  • T.J. wonders if peaceful protest is still possible or if polarization dooms any hope for respectful opposition (15:41–16:01).

7. Polling and Public Sentiment

• Split Opinions:
  • Recent polls reveal deep division:
    • 51% think a recent ICE-related shooting was wrong (CNN poll)
    • 54% believe ICE raids have done more harm than good (Yahoo/YouGov)
  • Amy: “Isn’t it remarkable to see something like that? … We are split. We all saw the same thing, right? And half saw it one way, half saw the other.” (16:42)

8. Personal Reflections and Hopes

• Acknowledging the Human Toll:
  • T.J. closes with a reminder for listeners to “keep your folks in Minneapolis on your mind tonight. Keep the family of Renee Goode on your mind tonight. Keep the family of those ICE agents on your mind tonight. All of these folks…in positions they didn’t ask to be in.” (18:04)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• T.J. Holmes (on Trump's intentions):
  “He has been looking for an excuse…just make my day kind of a thing.” (03:26)

• Amy Robach (on use of Insurrection Act):
  “Most of these orders…is with the cooperation of the governor…almost always in coordination with local officials, not against.” (06:10)

• T.J. Holmes (on leadership failures): “There’s a crisis right now and the principals are not talking. Check your ego at the door.” (09:05/09:18)

• Amy Robach (on political gamesmanship):
  “It’s all about reelection and proving to the people who are going to head to the polls and motivating people to go to the polls that you’re the reason why they want to vote.” (12:45)

• T.J. Holmes (on polarization):
  “We are split. We all saw the same thing, right? And half saw it one way, half saw the other.” (16:29)

• Amy Robach (on the gravity of current events):
  “With this threat of the president invoking this act of war…it's not turning the temperature down.” (13:04)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Trump’s Threat & Insurrection Act Context: 01:03–03:26
• Recent Unrest in Minneapolis: 03:54–05:02
• Reading Trump’s Truth Social Post: 05:24
• Historical Insurrection Act Precedents: 05:59–06:47
• Comparison to LA Riots & George Floyd Protests: 06:51–07:35
• Political Standoff (Walz, Trump, Leavitt): 08:00–09:49
• Critique of Political Motivations: 12:40–13:04
• Street Reporting from Minneapolis: 14:24–15:41
• Polling & Public Opinion: 16:01–17:32
• Closing Reflections & Appeals: 18:04–18:50

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Tone & Takeaways

Amy and T.J. maintain a conversational and urgent tone, laced with frustration at the breakdown of leadership and the polarization of both politicians and the American public. They urge empathy for all affected and express clear disappointment in the current state of political dialogue. The episode illustrates just how high the stakes feel—not only for Minnesota, but for the country as a whole.

Transcript

[Amy Rubach]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[T.J. Holmes]

Guaranteed Human success starts with your drive, and American Public University is here to fuel it.

[Amy Rubach]

With affordable tuition and over 200 flexible online programs, APU helps you gain the skills and confidence to move forward.

[T.J. Holmes]

Whether you're changing careers, starting fresh, or pursuing a lifelong passion, APU's programs are designed for people who never stop.

[Amy Rubach]

You bring the fire. Apu will fuel the journey. Learn more at Apu Apus. Edu.

[Podcast Announcer]

For 100 days, I'm going to cross the seven continents, because the answers to everything important are out there at the edges of our world. I'm stepping into the unknown. Where are we going to see our planet? This is amazing as it's never been seen before. From Pole to pole, Pole to Pole with Will Smith from National Geographic, now streaming on Disney plus and Hulu.

[T.J. Holmes]

Show me the way. Hey there, folks. It is Thursday, January 15th. We are getting close to the evening hours sundown in most places across the country. As we record this in robes, a lot of eyes gonna be on Minneapolis because called it. President Trump is threatening to use the Insurrection Act. And with that, welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ and Rose. I can't take credit for this. We should have seen this coming from a mile away.

[Amy Rubach]

Well, I was actually going to give credit where credit was due because you, you really did call this this morning. Just based on the language we were already seeing and the words they were using were by design and certainly leading up to now, this announcement we got from the President of on Truth Social. He is threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act. We can read his Truth Social post for you just to make it very clear what the President is saying.

[T.J. Holmes]

A reminder of what we're talking about here and where we are. There is something. There is an act, an Insurrection Act, a law. What year was it? Is it 18 oh something or 19 oh something? The insurrection act that essentially allows the President of the United States to send in troops to essentially tamp down or beat back an insurrection. But an insurrection has to be defined as a particular thing. There are very specific guidelines legally about what constitutes an insurrection. Yes. Presidents have used the Insurrection act in the past for some pretty extreme cases, though Robes. Not necessarily because there are some possible undocumented immigrants in attack.

[Amy Rubach]

No. Yes. No. This is to quell, as you point, an insurrection, civil disorder or an armed rebellion. And so when the President, if the president were to enact the Insurrection act, basically the president can empower the military to make arrests, search people. And these are things that the military is, is typically prohibited from. From doing here in the United States, that is to police forces, that is left to state and local municipalities. Police forces, not the military, the U.S. military. That is a very different situation.

[T.J. Holmes]

So he's threatened this before in other towns and many have said for a long time he has been looking for an excuse like just, just make my day kind of a thing. And they have been warning robes, the officials in Minnesota, please, everybody, don't take the bait. Don't do it, because this is what they're talking about. So, yes, you and I, this morning on our morning newscast, the morning run, it was this, this morning, was it.

[Amy Rubach]

Before the morning run. We actually. Oh, the overnight, because we saw the unrest that was happening with this second shooting that happened Wednesday night. And so overnight, Wednesday into today, protesters took to the streets. And so we had a feeling, look, now you've had two shootings in a week. Protesters were already upset. Now they're hella mad.

[T.J. Holmes]

So what was it? It was the deputy AG Todd Blanche, who had some pretty strong language in a tweet in which he mentioned Minnesota insurrection. I think he used that language.

[Amy Rubach]

He did.

[T.J. Holmes]

And then there was another official out of the White House that used some, or might have been President Trump.

[Amy Rubach]

Yes.

[T.J. Holmes]

Some similar language.

[Amy Rubach]

Todd. Todd. Yes, it was President Trump. And Todd Blanche obviously talked about it not being a threat, that it was a pretty promise. But he talked about Minnesota insurrection. And then he talked about Waltz and Frey, Governor Waltz, Fry and Mayor Jacob Fry saying, calling them terrorists, basically saying that it was domestic terrorism. We've heard that phrase thrown around now when it comes to Minnesota. So it's just making good.

[T.J. Holmes]

So, yes, we were talking about this. We were piecing together. They weren't necessarily bread crumbs. They were like whole slices of bread you could follow and you knew the direction it was going. So just. Yes, we were talking about just this morning. And sure enough, like clockwork, the president went ahead and used the word in this truth social post. And he's made clear. We'll just have to wait to see if he makes good.

[Amy Rubach]

Yes. So he. This is what he said on True Social. If the corrupt politicians of Minnesota don't obey the law and stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the patriots of ICE who are only trying to do their job, I will institute the Insurrection act, which many presidents have done before me, and quickly put an end to the travesty that is taking place in that once great state. Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DJT okay, well, once one president.

[T.J. Holmes]

Sent them in in for. Well, two for desegregation. Right. Eisenhower and Kennedy. Didn't they invoke the insurrection because they needed to enforce desegregation?

[Amy Rubach]

Correct. And the last time it was invoked was actually in 1992 with. In LA, with the Rodney King riots. And so the big point is most of these orders, when you actually put in an insurrection act, it is with the cooperation of the governor, the most governors, most mayors of whatever local, state or municipality. Yeah. They don't want violence on their streets. They don't want civil unrest. So they're. They oftentimes ask the president or when this has been used before, it's been almost always in coordination with local officials, not against.

[T.J. Holmes]

Maybe not the Southern governors, maybe not as much.

[Amy Rubach]

Not as much, but.

[T.J. Holmes]

But yeah. So what we're talking about, we are not seeing. Yes, there have been clashes and some ugly scenes. You all, Everything you're seeing on TV is not the same as you saw with the LA riots. Think about those riots.

[Amy Rubach]

Very, very different scenarios. The city was burning, literally. And you know, the president, President Trump actually threatened to institute the Insurrection act in George Floyd 2020. He didn't end up doing it, but that was far worse in terms of what was happening on the streets and the violence and the looting and the unrest. That was completely, much, much bigger than what we're seeing right now. I mean, you were there.

[T.J. Holmes]

Yeah. They got to get this under control. No, no, no, no. Oh, oh, don't.

[Amy Rubach]

You were in Minneapolis.

[T.J. Holmes]

You cannot compare. Now, I wasn't there during the most heated times. Oh, goodness, not at all. But I am saying robe to make the comparison if you didn't want to. They didn't get sent in then. I mean, even then, there were. We haven't nowhere close. But we need to get this under control before we get there. So, yes, as we're recording, this sun is going down here on the east coast, so it's getting darker across the country. And the question is, what will nighttime bring?

[Amy Rubach]

Yeah. And now with this threat, does it. Does that then make protesters more angry? Does it embolden them? Does it want to make them say, hey, let's see what you got, or will they back down and. And react to what they are hearing from Governor Walz, what they are now hearing from Mayor Fry? They are asking protesters to bring it down. And in terms of reacting to this threat, Tim Waltz actually went on social media and he made a direct appeal to President Trump. He wrote, let's turn the temperature down, stop this campaign of retribution. This is not who we are Is.

[T.J. Holmes]

That the only way he can get a message to the president?

[Amy Rubach]

He said he tried to contact the president and had not heard back yet. And so then when Caroline Levitt just held the press briefing, the Thursday press briefing, she was asked directly about Trump and Waltz, and she said, I don't know if Governor Waltz was even serious with what he was saying. But she confirmed that President Trump and Governor Waltz, as of that hearing, had not spoken. Okay, that's, that's, that's absurd. When you see what's going on.

[T.J. Holmes]

Stop. That's absurd. That's the, you know what that makes me feel like. When the shutdown was happening and the principals weren't even talking, like the Republicans, Democrats, there's a crisis right now and the principals are not talking.

[Amy Rubach]

Check your ego at the door.

[T.J. Holmes]

Stop. And you know, when you, that's why I asked, did he call him behind the scene? Don't put that out. You're trying to do something. You're not trying to get something done. If you're provoking him and poking, say, hey, I called him, he hit me back. You're putting something on him. If you look to the camera and say, Mr. President, I'm begging you to take my call, Please, can we talk? Be that guy, be that leader, be that grown up. Put the ego aside. Ropes, come on. I know, I don't like that he called him out.

[Amy Rubach]

He, he did say he was waiting to hear back. Now, Carolyn Levitt also said this. And again, this all is fanning the flames. It's fueling the fire. She said Democratic politicians are holding their state and local law enforcement hostage by declining to comply with federal immigration, immigration authorities sent to their cities and states by the Trump administration. So she's directly blaming, as has Trump, Waltz and Fry. And they're saying, hey, we're trying to talk to you. Let's stop this campaign of retribution. You know, this is all happening after his threat, by the way, after the president went to Truth Social. And we're also hearing now from Minnesota's congressional Democrats condemning the threat that Trump made. You've got Ilhan Omar not going to help going on X calling Trump's threat a blatant act of authoritarianism. Or wait, authoritarianism. I can't talk. Senator Tina Smith told reporters Trump statements amount to threats of declaring war on Minnesota. So I don't hear anybody turning the temperature down.

[T.J. Holmes]

It's usual suspects, usual language. It's the, you know, I'm not going to look and I want to accuse them at this point. But this is, these are One of those moments that you go to their websites or you go get their newsletters and some fundraising campaign is going on as they're doing this, and. Okay, because we just said two names, I don't want to see, but I'm cynical as hell, because. No, who's leading us right now? Like, who is it that's saying, hey, everybody, let's chill. Who? Who is who? I'm literally trying to think of.

[Amy Rubach]

I mean, Tim Waltz is saying it, but then, as you point out, it's still in a political theater because he's doing it on social media. So it's not as if there was some actual earnest attempt, and maybe there was behind the scenes getting in touc with one another, but the fact that our leaders are acting like high schoolers who are in, you know, factions and, you know, cliques who won't speak to each other, and literally, the streets are erupting in violence. And if our leaders can't even speak.

[T.J. Holmes]

To each other, you know, here's the thing, though, that's different about this, is that it's one thing if there's a crisis in a state and the governor says, we need help, they'll call. They'll talk then. But these two guys are enemies. They are actually on opposing sides of what's happening in the street, because we have feds and locals fighting. We actually have Americans fighting each other. So now I feel stupid for suggesting these two would talk because they're actually on two different sides of it. One, they both are blaming each other for what's happening in the streets, and they want to make sure that the American public blames the other guy. So, yeah, I'm sorry. Why are we even thinking they're gonna work together and get together. Of course they're not gonna try to resolve it. Oh, sorry, my bad. Scratch all that.

[Amy Rubach]

It's midterm elections. Scratch Cilly.

[T.J. Holmes]

Scratch everything. Sorry, my bad, my bad.

[Amy Rubach]

It's all about reelection and proving to the people who are going to head to the polls and motivating people to go to the polls that you're the reason why they want to vote. That is. That is what this is all about. And what it is continues to be about my mistake.

[T.J. Holmes]

Been a long day. I won't make that mistake again.

[Amy Rubach]

But you know what? There is. And we have been watching ugly, ugly scenes on the streets of Minneapolis today. And we've been seeing this, obviously, for the past seven days, but things have heated up today, this afternoon especially, and now with this threat of the president invoking this act of war, whatever you want to call it, but certainly an insurrection act in the state of Minnesota. It's not turning the temperature down. And so when we come back, we will tell you what is happening on the streets of Minnesota, and we will tell you there have been some recent polling about how Americans feel about ICE agents in Minnesota. We'll let you know what those recent polls suggest.

[T.J. Holmes]

All right, folks, we continue here on Amy and tj. Sun going down here on the East Coast. Sun gonna be going down across the country. I just happened to look out our window. Beautiful sunset. And I just saw a plane landing over at Newark Airport. Sorry, I just looked up. Beautiful sight. But the point being, yes, it's getting dark. And what is nightfall going to bring in Minneapolis last. I mean, last few nights, but certainly, I mean, last night we woke up to the news that somebody got shot.

[Amy Rubach]

Yeah, I mean, this is. This is scary stuff. And so I've. We've been looking at some of the local affiliates who have been out on the streets there throughout the afternoon, but they've had some ugly scenes. Once again, federal officials deploying what they call a chemical irritant against protesters who were gathering outside one of the federal buildings, the Whipple Federal Building. They're calling for ICE to leave. They're chanting, screaming. They've got the signs. And yes, there are reports of protesters throwing objects at ICE officers. So this is video of that, too? Yeah, and there's video everywhere. All over. Online. They've been described as tense standoffs between demonstrators and ICE agents. Look this. And just with two shootings now in seven days, the president threatening an insurrection act, it's not going to take much for this to erupt even further. Let's hope that isn't the case. Let's hope. Let's hope that these protesters listen to state officials who are now on the record. We're hearing from Fry, we're hearing from Walt, asking them to please, please stand down. But, yeah, throwing fireworks at agents is not going to help things. Blowing horns and whistles in their faces. They're banging. You know, we've heard about. They go. They find out where they're staying at their motels and hotels, and they're banging drums to keep them up all night.

[T.J. Holmes]

And there are people on the other side thinking this is their. Not even their civic right, but almost a civic duty. This is what they have to do. They have to resist. They have to be on the side of what's right. And I mean, I have to respect that. I mean, can you respectfully oppose. Can you respectfully demonstrate. I don't know. I really don't know.

[Amy Rubach]

The hope is that we can here in this country. But it is interesting. You say what's right and everyone thinks they're on the right side of this recent polling on what's been happening. Look, one of them's from CNN, and their poll showed that 51% said that the shooting was wrong and that it reflected bigger problems with the way ICE is operating. But think about that. 51%, that means 49% thinks that it was right or that it was justified.

[T.J. Holmes]

What that means is where we always are evenly split, like right down the middle on that evening, that question, we are split. We all saw the same thing, right? And half saw it one way, half saw the other.

[Amy Rubach]

Isn't it remarkable to see something like that? Now, there is a new Yahoo. YouGov poll that showed while 54% of Americans believe that ICE raids have done more harm than good. So that is interesting. 34% thought the opposite. So, I mean, look, it'll be interesting to see where public sentiment falls. The longer this goes on, the more videos come out. And I mean, people are looking to see who is behaving worse, basically, because, yes, obviously, I. It's hard to say someone behaved badly for a shooting, but they may be justified. And were the protesters behaving badly? Does that justify being shot? It's. It's tough to say. And, you know, we just can only hope for peace and calm and just a good night's rest, maybe for folks.

[T.J. Holmes]

You know, I looked. What is this tonight? It's going to be absolutely. I mean, it's normal for folks there. But, yeah, it's going to be feeling like in the teens tonight as people are out there.

[Amy Rubach]

You have to be pretty passionate to brave those. And yes, they're hardy folks in Minnesota. They're used to the cold weather, but still, cold is cold.

[T.J. Holmes]

To some.

[Amy Rubach]

To some different. That's true.

[T.J. Holmes]

I finally got adjusted to 45 degrees here in New York. That's not the worst thing in the world. But when I first came here, I was bumbled up.

[Amy Rubach]

That is true.

[T.J. Holmes]

But, yes. Keep your folks in Minneapolis on your mind tonight. Keep the family of Renee Goode on your mind tonight. Keep the family of those. The families of those ICE agents on your mind tonight. All of these folks, everybody is sacrificing and hurting, and quite frankly, a lot of them in positions they didn't ask to be in. But, folks, we always appreciate you spending some time with us. Just wanted to hop on and give you that Update as always, top right corner of your Apple Podcast app where you see our show page button that says Follow. Click that you can get our updates. A lot of breaking news updates these days, but click that we can get them coming right to you. But for now, as always, we appreciate you spending some time with us. T.J. holmes on behalf of Amy Rubach, we'll talk to y' all soon. Success starts with your drive, and American Public University is here to fuel it.

[Amy Rubach]

With affordable tuition and over 200 flexible online programs, APU helps you gain the skills and confidence to move forward.

[T.J. Holmes]

Whether you're changing careers, starting fresh, or pursuing a lifelong passion, APU's programs are designed for people who never stop you bring the fire.

[Amy Rubach]

Apu will fuel the journey. Learn more at Apu Apus Edu.

[Podcast Announcer]

For 100 days, I'm going to cross the seven continents because the answers to every everything important are at the edges of our world. Pole to Pole with Will Smith from National Geographic. Now streaming on Disney and Hulu, this.

[Amy Rubach]

Is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.