The former Minnesota governor slammed the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Minneapolis
During a flurry of immigration enforcement raids in Minneapolis, Jesse Ventura suggested he might run for governor of Minnesota once more and referred to President Donald Trump as “a draft-dodging coward.”
Before deciding not to run for reelection, Ventura was governor of Minnesota from 1999 to 2003. He served in Vietnam and was a Navy SEAL. Some may be familiar with him from his WWE career as Jesse “The Body” Ventura, if it weren’t for his public service.
Trump, who was medically exempt from the Vietnam War draft due to a diagnosis of bone spurs, received some harsh words from Ventura on Thursday when he paid a visit to his alma mater, Roosevelt High School.
“He’s the draft-dodging coward who, when it was his time to serve his country, he did what all rich white boys did. I wasn’t a rich white boy…We had to go…He’s gonna tell me what courage is?” Ventura told local outlet Fox 9.
Minneapolis has been the focus of what Trump’s Homeland Security Department has called its “largest ever immigration enforcement operation.”
Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen, was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis on Wednesday. The Trump administration claims that the shooting was an act of self-defense. On the same day, a federal agent was reportedly caught on camera spraying an irritant chemical on a Roosevelt High School crowd.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, a citizen of the United States was being pursued by Border Patrol agents when he drove into a school zone, the agency stated. According to DHS, a person who claimed to be a teacher attacked an agent as the citizen was being removed from his vehicle sparked a crowd at the school.
“The crowd continued with their hostilities and assaults despite repeated warnings to stop. For the sake of public safety and the safety of law enforcement, officers used targeted crowd control. “There was no use of tear gas,” the agency stated.
To show his support, Ventura visited the high school on Thursday.
“As a Roosevelt High School alumnus and former Minnesota governor, I have the utmost respect for Roosevelt High School and the students there for standing up for what is supposed to be America and freedom. And freedom doesn’t mean detaining people without a warrant, according to Ventura to Fox 9. “We have a system here; it is referred to as a Constitution,” and “we have a party, the Republicans, who don’t seem to want to follow the Constitution.”
After that, Ventura gave hints that he might run again for governor. Governor Tim Waltz has stated that he will not run for re-election in the state’s next election, which takes place in November.