Fact Check: Trump Did Not Send National Guard to Minneapolis During 2020 Protests

Records reveal that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, not former President Trump, activated the National Guard during the turmoil following George Floyd’s murder.

On Aug. 6, Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate.

Former president and current Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump referenced Walz during a rally in St. Cloud, Minnesota, on July 27. At the 29-minute mark of the rally, Trump talked about Walz’s actions during the unrest after Floyd’s murder by a Minneapolis police officer in May 2020. Trump claimed he was responsible for deploying the National Guard, contradicting the actual events.

“Immediately every voter in Minnesota needs to know that when the violent mobs of anarchists and looters and Marxists came to burn down Minneapolis four years ago, remember me?” Trump addressed the rally attendees. “I couldn’t get your governor to act. He didn’t call in the National Guard or the Army … So I sent in the National Guard.”

THE QUESTION

Did Trump deploy the National Guard to Minneapolis in 2020?

THE ANSWER

No, Trump did not deploy the National Guard to Minneapolis in 2020. Gov. Tim Walz ordered the deployment.

WHAT WE FOUND

After George Floyd’s murder in 2020, violent protests erupted in Minneapolis. In response, Gov. Tim Walz activated the state’s National Guard. Walz issued an emergency executive order on May 28, 2020, directing the deployment of troops to Minneapolis and St. Paul. This order marked a peacetime emergency declaration, invoked under specific circumstances such as civil unrest.

On social media, the Minnesota National Guard confirmed that the request came from Walz.

Minnesota National Guard Maj. Gen. Jon Jensen stated, “We are ready and prepared to answer the Governor’s request. We are currently in the process of assigning and preparing units to respond.” On the same day, the Minnesota National Guard announced the activation of over 500 soldiers to protect life, preserve property, and ensure the right to peacefully demonstrate.

Subsequent to this, Trump posted on social media on May 29, threatening the deployment of the National Guard if Democratic Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey didn’t control the situation, but by then, the Guard was already deployed as per Walz’s directive. Following initial statements, Trump mentioned he had a conversation with Walz, expressing support.

Governors typically command state National Guards, though under certain situations, a president can deploy a state’s National Guard.

No evidence from Trump’s archived social media or contemporary reports indicate that he ordered the deployment of the National Guard to Minneapolis during the first week of the protests.