Biographer Michael Wolff says a fierce blame game is unfolding among President Trump’s closest advisers after a deadly federal immigration operation in Minneapolis sparked national outrage. Wolff pointed to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Corey Lewandowski, and policy architect Stephen Miller as central figures in the dispute. Video footage raises questions about the circumstances of Alex Pretti’s death, and Miller has publicly defended Noem while attacking critics. Wolff doubts the episode will become a lasting turning point for the administration.
White House Infighting Escalates as New 'Fall Guy' Emerges After Deadly Minnesota Raid
Stephen Miller is the man behind Trump's most severe immigration policies. / Allison Robbert/AFP via Getty Images
President Donald Trump’s closest advisers are embroiled in a bitter internal struggle over who will take responsibility for a chaotic and deadly immigration operation in Minneapolis, according to biographer Michael Wolff.
On the latest episode of the podcast Inside Trump’s Head, Wolff described a toxic blame game inside the White House after federal agents fatally shot a second U.S. citizen in Minneapolis this month, prompting nationwide outrage and renewed scrutiny of federal immigration tactics.
"The point, the understanding that someone is going to be blamed here and that person is not going to be the president of the United States," Wolff told co-host Joanna Coles, arguing that the administration is quickly trying to identify scapegoats.
Noem was reportedly heard saying: “Everything I've done, I've done at the direction of the president and Stephen,
Wolff named several senior officials who have been singled out by colleagues as responsible for the operation's fallout: Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem; her ally and alleged romantic partner, Corey Lewandowski; and Stephen Miller, the policy architect behind many of the administration's most aggressive immigration measures.
"I think a lot of people are reporting that Kristi Noem and Corey Lewandowski are going to be blamed," Wolff said. "And that certainly is fair, but the policy, the root of the policy here is Stephen Miller."
Axios reported that Noem was overheard saying, "Everything I’ve done, I’ve done at the direction of the president and Stephen." Miller has been widely credited as a driving force of the administration’s toughest immigration approaches, including advocating for a "minimum" of 3,000 immigration arrests per day and championing the hardline "zero-tolerance" policies of the past.
Noem and Miller have reportedly been at odds for months. / ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP
Wolff suggested that, while Miller shaped the policy, he views Noem as the immediate operative whose decisions in Minnesota set events in motion and who may be blamed for the operational failures.
Public Feud and Excluded Adviser
The rift widened after reports that Miller was excluded from a closed-door White House meeting attended by Noem, the president, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, and other senior officials. By the following afternoon, President Trump told reporters that Noem would not be stepping down.
Publicly, Miller defended Noem after she described ICU nurse Alex Pretti, 37, as a "domestic terrorist" following his shooting by federal agents in Minneapolis. On X, Miller called Pretti an "assassin," a post reshared by Vice President J.D. Vance.
Miller labeled Pretti an
But multiple videos of the encounter—widely circulated online—appear to show Pretti never drawing the handgun he was legally carrying and being disarmed in a physical confrontation before being shot multiple times while lying on the ground. As the footage spread, critics including Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar called for ICE to leave the state; Miller answered with a combative message accusing state Democrats of obstructing deportations.
What Comes Next
Wolff expressed skepticism that this episode will be the administration’s definitive "tipping point." "He may well change the subject, he may well go off in another direction, but the fundamental Donald Trump... his fundamental mission to grab as much power as he can... continues on," Wolff said.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment. When asked previously about Wolff’s credibility, the White House issued a sharp, profane denunciation of the author, calling him "a lying sack of s--t" and accusing him of fabricating stories; that statement has been widely circulated and remains part of the public record.
"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 White House said in a previous statement.
Note: The story centers on competing internal accounts and video evidence now circulating publicly. Reporting is ongoing and official responses are evolving.
Help us improve.
