Trump facing growing cultural revolt against immigration crackdown

NEW YORK– No longer limited to supporters and activists, the violent backlash against Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown has begun to erupt across American culture, across business, sports and entertainment.

Bruce Springsteen released a new song Wednesday that blasts “Trump’s federal thugs.” OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman told employees that “what’s happening with ICE goes too far,” referring to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. And lifestyle icon Martha Stewart lamented that “we could be attacked and even killed.”

“Things must and must change quickly and peacefully,” Stewart wrote this week to his 2.9 million Instagram followers.

A little more than a year into his second term, Trump faces a broad cultural revolt that threatens to undermine his national priority, the Republican Party’s grip on power and his own political strength as the midterm elections approach.

Trump, a former reality TV star often attuned to shifts in public opinion, tried to change that this week by sending border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota to replace Greg Bovino, a Border Patrol commander who has been a lightning rod.

But we don’t know if this decision will change anything on the ground.

Thousands of federal agents remain in Minnesota, where two U.S. citizens have been killed and communities feel under siege by Trump’s crackdown. In the meantime, operations have also expanded to Maine.

Republican strategist Doug Heye said it was too early to know whether Trump’s attempt to control the fallout would work. He has been in communication with Republican leaders in Washington in recent days, who fear the escalating situation could jeopardize control of Congress in this fall’s midterm elections.

“It’s very clear that the administration is scared,” Heye said.

And while some in the party may be worried, Trump’s “Make America Great Again” base remains largely unified behind him and the immigration crackdown he repeatedly promised on the campaign trail. They are pushing the president not to back down.

“It’s time for President Trump to step up mass deportations even further,” Laura Loomer, a Trump loyalist who has the president’s ear, told the Associated Press. “And if Minnesota is any barometer, it’s time to focus on deporting as many Muslims as possible.”

Such advice is at odds with a growing faction of prominent voices in American culture.

Joe Rogan, a leading podcast host who supported Trump during his comeback campaign, said he sympathized with concerns about immigration agents’ tactics.

“Are we really going to be the Gestapo? » said Rogan. “‘Where are your papers?’ Is this where we have arrived? »

Over the weekend, more than 60 business executives, including the heads of Target, Best Buy and UnitedHealth, released a public letter calling for de-escalation following the death of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old Veterans Affairs nurse who was shot and killed during a confrontation with federal agents.

The outcry intensified as the week progressed.

Apple CEO Tim Cook issued a memo to employees Tuesday saying he was “heartbroken by the events in Minneapolis.”

“I believe America is stronger when we live up to our highest ideals, when we treat everyone with dignity and respect, no matter who they are or where they come from, and when we embrace our common humanity,” Cook wrote in the memo, first reported by Bloomberg News.

Tech billionaire and venture capitalist Vinod Khosla used stronger language on social media to condemn “the macho ICE vigilantes on the rampage.”

Jason Calacanis, a prominent technology podcaster, warned Wednesday of dire consequences for Trump if he doesn’t make sweeping changes among the people leading the immigration crackdown.

“President Trump must replace them all and reverse his ratings slide or the entire Trump 2.0 agenda is over,” Calacanis wrote to his 1 million supporters. “America must put this dark and disgusting chapter behind us and unite behind stronger immigration policies. »

Even more outrage has come from the entertainment industry, which is often seen as a liberal bastion.

Springsteen released his new song, “The Streets of Minneapolis,” on Wednesday. The famous musician directly referred to Pretti’s death.

“Trump’s federal thugs hit him in the face and chest. Then we heard the gunshots. And Alex Pretti was lying in the snow, dead,” Springsteen sings.

Other actors and artists who have spoken out in recent days include Natalie Portman, Elijah Wood, Olivia Rodrigo and Billie Eilish. Actor Mark Ruffalo described Pretti’s death as “cold-blooded murder.”

The sports world has also started to get involved.

Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch called the shooting “unconscionable” and expressed support for the protesters. Just like NBA superstar Steph Curry.

“A lot of changes need to happen,” Curry, who plays for the Golden State Warriors, told reporters this week. He said he was glued to media coverage of the latest shooting in Minnesota.

Guerschon Yabusele of the New York Knicks went further in the aftermath of Pretti’s shooting.

“I cannot remain silent. What is happening is beyond comprehension,” he wrote on

Trump appears to be softening his tone on immigration — at least by his standards.

“We’re going to de-escalate the situation a little bit,” he said Tuesday in an interview on Fox News. He also reprimanded Bovino, whom he removed from office.

“Bovino is very good, but he’s a pretty extravagant guy,” he said. “In some cases it’s good. Maybe it wasn’t good here.”

But Trump pushed back against the idea that he was scaling back operations in Minnesota. And in a social media post, he warned Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey that he was “PLAYING WITH FIRE” by refusing to enforce federal immigration laws.

Even before Pretti’s death Saturday, public opinion was beginning to turn against Trump on immigration, which was one of his top issues early in his second term.

Just 38% of American adults approve of Trump’s handling of immigration, down from 49% in March. This is according to an AP-NORC poll conducted January 8-11, shortly after the first shooting death of an American citizen in Minnesota.

There are also indications that Trump’s endorsement of immigration may be losing ground among Republicans. The president’s approval among self-described Republicans fell from 88% in March to 76% in the January AP-NORC poll.

Another Fox News poll, conducted Friday through Monday, found that 59 percent of voters described ICE as “too aggressive,” an increase of 10 points since last July.

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AP writer Linley Sanders in Washington contributed.