The Tim & April Show – Episode 77

Trump Built This System: ICE Just Killed an American Citizen

Podcast: The Tim & April Show (The New Evangelicals)
Date: January 9, 2026
Hosts: Tim Whitaker & April Ajoy

Episode Overview

This episode grapples with outrage, grief, and righteous anger in the wake of ICE agents killing Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old American citizen, in Minneapolis. Tim and April set out to challenge the Trump administration's narrative, dissect intense video evidence, deconstruct governmental lies, and connect this tragedy to the broader history of ICE brutality, state authoritarianism, Christian nationalism, and white evangelical complicity. Throughout, the hosts call for solidarity, direct action, and an unwavering commitment to truth and justice.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Stage: A Nation in Outrage

• [00:00] April and Tim express deep upset and frustration over the events, sharing their intent to provide facts against the misinformation and propaganda swirling in right-wing media.
• Tim: "Propaganda is nothing new for this administration... It's been really wild to watch so much propaganda be pushed over everything, whether it's January 6th... and this story is no different." [01:52]

2. Humanizing the Victim: Who Was Renee Nicole Good?

• [03:12] April shares Renee’s story—her age, role as a mother, poet, writer, widow, and devoted Christian.
• Notably: "She was a US citizen, born in Colorado... never charged with anything involving law enforcement beyond a traffic ticket." [06:00]
• Emotional resonance: Renee was the same age as both hosts, with parallels in motherhood and protest participation.
• April: "When we start showing these videos, I want y' all to have an image of the human being impacted and killed by this." [06:29]

3. Examining the Evidence: Multi-Angle Video Analysis

• [07:24] The hosts play a New York Times breakdown of the incident using three video angles; the footage is starkly at odds with official government claims.
  • The agent was not in the SUV's path when he fired at close range; the "defensive" justification is debunked.
  • Bystanders, including a physician, are blocked from providing aid as agents drive away, altering the crime scene.
  • Tim: "It's clear as day... That person shot a woman at point blank range and then walked away and told other people to call 911 and fled the scene. What is going on in your soul as a human being to justify that?" [11:37]

Notable Quote:

• April: "If someone is fleeing the scene, you cannot shoot them for the sake of getting them to stop... It has to be in self defense, like those—we have laws in place for a reason." [13:21]

4. Propaganda & Conflicting Orders

• [17:27] Eyewitness account: Bystanders report ICE agents gave Renee conflicting instructions—ordered her to leave while simultaneously attempting to pull her from the car; an agent stood in front of her vehicle, making compliance impossible.
• April: "She was given conflicting orders... Some ICE agents were ordering her to leave while someone else was trying to get her out of the car." [19:34]

5. State-Sanctioned Violence & Evangelical Complicity

• [14:45] Tim connects ICE violence to longstanding patterns: "This is how America has always acted. Right. For the black community, they're like, 'yeah, this has been happening to us for centuries.' State-sanctioned violence... to enforce white supremacy and empire, hard stop." [15:00]
• Discouragement over continued evangelical support for Trump and authoritarianism.

6. Eyewitnesses vs. Official Lies

• [23:21] Kristi Noem (Trump administration official) issues a statement doubling down on the self-defense narrative, labeling Renee’s actions “domestic terrorism.”
• April: "She is blatantly lying. We all saw the video, and thank God there's video... Do not let them gaslight you. They are gaslighting the American people." [25:23]

Notable Quote:

• Tim: "In the age of propaganda, you have to tell the truth plainly... We have to be clear-eyed in these moments." [26:00]

7. The Trump and Right-Wing Playbook

• [27:57] Tim and April criticize the failure to prosecute Trump for the insurrection, drawing a direct line from a lack of accountability to increasing abuses.
• April: "We had a chance. Mitch McConnell—if he could have pushed through that impeachment... we wouldn’t be dealing with this right now." [29:05]

8. Trump’s Response: Spreading More Lies

• [30:44] Trump’s Truth Social post (paired with misleading video): He calls Renee a “professional agitator” and blames the left for violence.
• April: "Another blatant lie. That man was not run over. We watched him walk away unharmed." [32:53]
• Tim: "He was so unharmed that he was able to be that callous—to walk away from murdering a woman who was trying to follow conflicting orders." [33:06]

9. Funding & Motivation: ICE as a Tool of White Supremacy

• [34:45] Discussion of $170 billion in new federal anti-immigrant spending (“a bunch of rent a cops to invade random streets... racially profile people”).
• April: "They don't go to police academy, they're not trained. They are terrorizing not just immigrants, but citizens." [34:04]

10. White Evangelicalism & Systemic Injustice

• [36:21] Tim—"It's not a bug, it's a feature," referencing how white evangelicalism enables the perpetuation of state violence; 77% of white evangelicals polled approved Trump’s actions.
• April: "You are taught that your own thoughts are evil and sinful and you can't trust your own instincts... constant confirmation bias and echo chamber." [51:47]

Key Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|---------|-------| | 11:37 | Tim | "That person shot a woman at point blank range and then walked away... What is going on in your soul as a human being to justify that?" | | 13:21 | April | "You cannot shoot them for the sake of getting them to stop... It has to be in self defense." | | 19:34 | April | "She was given conflicting orders... Some ICE agents were ordering her to leave while someone else was trying to get her out of the car." | | 26:00 | Tim | "In the age of propaganda, you have to tell the truth plainly..." | | 32:53 | April | "Another blatant lie. That man was not run over. We watched him walk away unharmed." | | 51:47 | Tim | "White evangelicalism... authority and hierarchy trumps what's in front of your eyes." |

Official Response and Gaslighting

• [23:26] Kristi Noem reads a list of false claims about the incident, painting ICE agents as heroes who faced “domestic terrorism.”
• Tim questions the claim of the agent’s injury ("Why did he go to the hospital? For what injuries? He walked away...").
• April: "Do not let them gaslight you. They are gaslighting the American people. That is exactly what they are doing right now." [25:23]

Broader Implications and Calls to Action

Systemic Patterns of Violence

• [46:14] April list of recent ICE killings—three civilians (now four with Renee) killed by agents in the past five months; 32 people died in ICE custody in 2025 alone (most since 2004).
• Tim: "I just wonder... where are the pro-lifers? It's so interesting how quiet the pro-life crowd gets when it comes to brown-skinned immigrants and their deaths." [47:37]

Spiritualizing Authoritarian Obedience

• [52:41] Tim plays a clip of Paula White: "To say no to President Trump would be saying no to God... And I won't do that." [52:41]
• Hosts reflect on the deep-rooted effects of authoritarian faith upbringings.

Local Government Pushback

• [38:42] Minneapolis mayor (profanity warning) denounces ICE: "To ICE: Get the fuck out of Minneapolis. We do not want you here."
• [40:34] Responding to critics of his language: "I'm so sorry if I offended their Disney princess ears. But if we're talking about what's inflammatory—F bomb, killing somebody. I think the more inflammatory action is killing somebody."
• Tim and April praise the mayor's candor, note the country's cultural paradox around violence/offense.

Right-Wing Christian Nationalism & Public Reactions

Hypocrisy and Selective Outrage

• [66:18] Discussing Ali Beth Stuckey’s tweet: She refuses to demonize ICE or Trump, but is quick to decry “chaos,” “riots,” and “social justice.”
• April’s impassioned story of nonviolent protest and the racist backlash encountered in Tennessee during 2020.
• Tim: "It's never about... what those in power say it's about. It's about... getting brown-skinned people out of the country to maintain a white majority nation." [45:00]
• [70:01] Matt Walsh falsely claims the ICE agents are the real victims and blames Renee for her own death—Tim and April strongly rebut.

Authoritarianism & The Right-Wing Media Machine

• [56:36] Old speech played of Stephen Miller granting ICE federal "immunity"—"Anybody who tries to stop you is committing a felony... you have immunity to perform your duties."
• Geraldo Rivera (on News Nation) slams the ICE action and the administration’s choices: "Blood in the snow is the way I think about this forever. That woman's death was absolutely unnecessary... It was absolutely avoidable. It was the most unprofessional thing I've watched." [58:27]

Spiritual Deconstruction & Breaking the Cycle

• [60:53] April spotlights her book on leaving Christian nationalism and the challenge of breaking indoctrination: "Indoctrination is a hell of a drug... that's why they demonize empathy."
• [66:27] Tim: "It's not about all lives matter... it's about our lives matter—the lives that we want to care about matter. The immigrant's life doesn't matter. Renee's life doesn't matter."

Concrete Calls to Action

• Petition representatives, protest peacefully, and refuse to be silent.
• White allies especially urged to get loud and help dismantle white evangelical support for state violence.
• Tim: "Don't let this discourage you. Let it radicalize you—to be someone who is so devoted to love and justice and inclusion..." [78:41]

Recommended Resources

• Books:
  • "How Fascism Works" by Jason Stanley [80:10]
  • "The Color of Compromise" by Jamar Tisby [73:22]
  • "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander [73:24]
• Watch: "13th" on Netflix (mass incarceration and systemic racism)

Lighter Segment: “Weird Christian”

• [81:38] Features a viral video of a woman proselytizing atop a Costco bench. Hosts lampoon the performativity and self-righteousness of such public displays, connecting it to the culture described above.

Final Thoughts

• Tim and April repeat the urgent need for truth-telling and empathy.
• There’s exhaustion but hope in community and resistance: "Let this radicalize you. To be uncomfortable for the sake of your neighbor."
• April: "Please do stay peaceful... They want people to be violent. They want that to happen. Record and film. Sometimes that’s your only defense." [78:04]
• [End] Reminders to like/subscribe, and that they’ll see listeners next week.

For listeners who missed the full episode, this summary encapsulates the depth, outrage, and moral urgency Tim & April bring to the discussion—along with a roadmap for action and solidarity in the face of rising authoritarian violence and Christian nationalist manipulation.

Timestamps for Key Segments:

• [03:12] – Introduction to Renee Nicole Good
• [07:24] – NYT video analysis of the shooting
• [23:26] – Kristi Noem's statement and hosts’ response
• [30:44] – Trump’s Truth Social post
• [38:42] – Minneapolis mayor’s response
• [56:36] – Stephen Miller on ICE “immunity”
• [58:27] – Geraldo Rivera clip
• [66:18] – Ali Beth Stuckey hypocrisy discussion
• [73:22] – Book recommendations: “Color of Compromise,” “The New Jim Crow”
• [81:38] – Weird Christian Segment

Notable Quote to Close:
Tim: "In the age of propaganda, you have to tell the truth plainly... We have to." [26:00]