Michael Wolff warns that President Trump’s repeated threats to invoke the 1807 Insurrection Act risk escalating protests rather than restoring order. Wolff told the Inside Trump’s Head podcast that Trump seems focused on drama and distraction more than legal or logistical realities. He pointed to Minneapolis unrest after the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good and said invoking the Act could lead to occupying a city and broad claims of immunity. The White House strongly rejected Wolff’s account.
Wolff: Trump’s Threat To Invoke 1807 Insurrection Act Risks Backfiring And Escalating Unrest
After DHS under Kristi Noem sent thousands of federal agents to Minneapolis, Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act against protesters. / Win McNamee / Getty Images
Michael Wolff, author and podcaster, warns that President Donald Trump’s repeated threats to invoke the 1807 Insurrection Act could exacerbate — rather than calm — protests over immigration policy and recent policing actions. Wolff made the remarks on his Inside Trump’s Head podcast with co-host Joanna Coles, arguing that the president appears focused on drama and distraction rather than the legal and logistical realities of deploying military forces on U.S. streets.
What Wolff Said
Wolff described the Insurrection Act — a 1807 statute that can allow a president to deploy the military to suppress civil disorder and rebellion — as a tool Trump might invoke to intensify conflict. He referenced unrest in Minneapolis after an ICE officer fatally shot Renee Nicole Good earlier this month and said the White House and Department of Homeland Security further inflamed tensions by labeling Good a "domestic terrorist."
Federal immigration officers confront protesters outside Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis as tensions remain high following Renee Good's death. / Anadolu / Anadolu via Getty Images
"This whole idea of the Insurrection Act — this is preposterous. There is no insurrection going on here," Wolff told Coles, adding that the incidents he’s seen amount to "some relatively minor resistance, not major resistance...to what’s happening."
Wolff suggested that, from the president’s perspective, invoking the act could be a way to "amp up" the situation: to occupy a city, create spectacle, and claim sweeping authority that he views as near absolute immunity. At the same time, Wolff acknowledged that aides inside the White House are likely weighing the practical consequences — troop deployments, cost, on-the-ground realities, and legal fallout.
Legal And Political Constraints
Wolff noted that past legal pushback and court decisions have constrained attempts to deploy federal troops or guard forces to cities such as Chicago and Portland. He emphasized the gulf between Trump’s appetite for dramatic confrontation and the sober calculations required to carry out such a move.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has told residents to film “atrocities” committed by ICE officers and to “carry your phone with you at all times.
White House Response
When asked for comment, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung told the Daily Beast: "Michael Wolff is a lying sack of s--t and has been proven to be a fraud. He routinely fabricates stories originating from his sick and warped imagination, only possible because he has a severe and debilitating case of Trump Derangement Syndrome that has rotted his peanut-sized brain."
The exchange highlights a sharp dispute between Wolff’s depiction of the president’s motives and the administration’s dismissal of Wolff’s credibility.
Where To Listen
Find Inside Trump’s Head with Michael Wolff and Joanna Coles on YouTube and major podcast platforms for in-depth discussions about the president’s tactics and thinking.
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