On Friday, amid everything he’s juggling, Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey did morning drop-off for his two daughters, Frida Jade, five, and Estelle Bloom, six months. “One of the more stressful parts of my day is just figuring out how to carry all this crap into daycare along with two kids,” Frey, 44, told me by phone.
Going to work, however, comes with another kind of weight. Almost six years after George Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis, Frey again finds himself a local leader on the front lines of a national crisis. The mayor is facing off against President Trump as Trump makes Minneapolis ground zero for his aggressive immigration crackdown, unleashing ICE’s largest-scale operation ever: an estimated 3,000 masked agents raiding homes and even schools, detaining residents (including children like five-year-old Liam Ramos, still toting his Spider-Man backpack), and using deadly force to shoot and kill Renée Good, then Alex Pretti, in the street.
Neither battle-scarred Minneapolis nor its mayor is having it. Frey famously ordered ICE to “get the fuck out.” More than 50,000 residents—including Frey, in a hooded parka—took to the streets last week in subzero temperatures. And earlier this month Minneapolis sued the Trump administration in federal court, alleging the ICE onslaught is unconstitutional. (A judge is expected to rule imminently.) A week later the Department of Justice subpoenaed Frey, along with Governor Tim Walz and other local Democratic leaders critical of ICE, alleging that the officials conspired to impede law enforcement amid the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
Frey said the White House didn’t respond to his request for an in-person meeting with the president, but in a tenuous bit of progress, Frey confirms he had a “positive conversation” with Trump this week. “On the phone, he was affable,” Frey told me, even “flattering at first”—though Trump has since said on social media that Frey was “playing with fire” for stating that Minneapolis police would not assist ICE.
When I traveled to Minneapolis to profile Mayor Frey for Vogue in late 2021, he told me that Floyd’s murder and its aftermath was “a time that changed me forever.” He’s approached this latest crisis with more experience and thicker skin.
In a phone interview, Frey spoke about his call with Trump, the anxiety of being the subject of a federal investigation, parenting his daughters in tumultuous times, and what it means to be a patriot now.
Vogue: Loaded question: How are you doing? Maybe it’s better to ask how you’re doing today.
Mayor Jacob Frey: Look, we keep moving. Me, personally, I’m no victim. There are people having their constitutional rights trampled. There are families that are getting ripped apart. There are businesses that have closed. There are people who are in our streets that have suffered, and they’re the ones that deserve the real attention. Not to mention the tens of thousands of people in our city that are peacefully protesting and bringing people groceries that are afraid to go outside and standing guard at a daycare. On the one hand, I am buoyed by an incredible city. And at the same time, I’m getting investigated by a Department of Justice that is being weaponized against local leaders that simply disagree.
What is the status of that investigation, Mayor? Have there been any new developments since you were subpoenaed?
As in any legal case, there are deadlines that you meet. But unlike other cases, never in a million years did I think that I would be investigated criminally by the federal government simply for carrying out one of my core responsibilities as mayor, which is to speak on behalf of my constituents and keep them safe. I know that their claims are complete garbage and unconstitutional, and at the same time, yeah, it is very disconcerting to have the federal government come after you. In addition to being mayor, I’m a husband. [Frey is married to Sarah Clarke.] I’m a dad. I got a six-month-old and a five-year-old. I just dropped them off at daycare. One of the more stressful parts of my day is just figuring out how to carry all this crap into daycare along with two kids and making sure that one of them doesn’t get hit by a car.
Parenting through this crisis is a challenge. We’re watching people be shot dead in the street and then making our kids mac and cheese. How is this impacting you as a father? Does your oldest have any awareness of the situation?
It’s the oldest cliché in the book that you get a different perspective when you become a parent, but it’s absolutely true. That perspective is only enhanced as these kids get older and start becoming genuine people. I do know Frida is tracking way more than I think she is and is simultaneously not fully aware of the gravity. I mean, I certainly didn’t tell her that Trump is trying to criminally indict me, but she knows what’s happening is bad. She knows that people whom she really cares about, teachers and friends, are scared. She knows that we—both me as a mayor and we in the city—are standing up for people who we love and that we care about. She’s got a very Disney sense of right and wrong; there are people that are good in the world, and we’re going to do everything possible to be on the good side, even when it’s tough.
We have this Yiddish eight ball, so it’s the same thing as a regular eight ball, but with Jewish grandmother phrases. This morning she asked the eight ball: “How do things connect together without wires?” I thought that was pretty impressive. That’s a good question.
There’s a nationwide strike today in solidarity with Minneapolis and in protest of ICE. Do you feel that support from across the country?
It didn’t fully hit me until, really, yesterday. For the first time in months, I wasn’t in Minneapolis. I went to DC for the US Conference of Mayors, and these mayors have incredibly important daily jobs, but their gaze was very much focused on Minneapolis. Their heart and their thoughts and their support for our city was.... There was a feeling in the room that you could just cut with a knife. That really meant a lot to me.
You spoke to President Trump this week, and he said it was a “very good” conversation. Do you feel it was a very good conversation too?
It was a good conversation, yeah. He’s not wrong. It was a positive conversation.
Was that the first time you’ve spoken since ICE descended on Minneapolis?
Yes. We had reached out a few weeks prior, requesting an audience. I was ready to head out to DC for a meeting, but they never got back to us.
The headline was that you both agreed that “the present situation cannot continue.” How did you reach that consensus? I would have assumed that the president would come in very defensive of what he was doing with ICE.
He didn’t. This was not a hard-driving negotiation. I mean, it was clear. It was broadly acknowledged that the present status is not sustainable. He instructed the border czar [Tom] Homan to come out to Minneapolis. Obviously, there were some staffing changes, and Homan was directed to bring down the temperature.
Do you think Homan is going to make a difference?
I’m hopeful, but I’ll believe it when I see it. Our understanding is that there will be a drawing down of federal agents. Now, how many and when very much remains to be seen. Again, I’ll believe it when I see it, but that is the message that they have delivered—both the drawing down of agents and also a changing of tactics. I don’t know that we’ve seen that yet.
How uncomfortable was that call with the president, given the subpoena and the insults he’s hurled at you?
I mean, insults, whatever. You put those aside. I’ve gotten insulted plenty over my career. Of course, the subpoena is something entirely different. Look, in that moment, you do your best. We started out talking about the East Coast. I’m from the East Coast [Frey is a native of Virginia], as is he, obviously.
It seems like—and we saw this with New York mayor Zohran Mamdani too—Trump doesn’t have the same bluster when he’s speaking directly to someone as he does when he’s posting online.
On the phone, he was affable. He was flattering at first, and I said I must have got it from my mom, who’s from Queens. Of course, he’s [also] from Queens. I said my mom’s from Fresh Meadows, and he mentioned the Fresh Meadows theater. We were just talking about New York City for a little bit.
What was it about you that he was flattering?
I don’t want to get too into it.
I understand. One of the cases out of Minneapolis that is getting national attention is that of Liam Ramos, the five-year-old boy detained by ICE. There are reports now that he’s sick in ICE detention. Do you know the latest on efforts to get him home?
I don’t. I should get re-briefed now. In normal circumstances, you could get briefed with a singular focus on a kid, and obviously we want to help in any way we can, while we’re dealing simultaneously with an invasion of three to four thousand federal agents and border patrol.
Will Minneapolis be able to investigate the deaths of Renée Good and Alex Pretti, even with the Justice Department pressuring the FBI to drop investigations and not cooperating with local and state officials? Will there be answers and justice for these two people?
These cases will be investigated because they have to be. Ethics and morality call for it. Justice requires it. There are good positive steps in this direction by the BCA, the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, at the state level. They are the ones that should be handling this. Initially, following the killing of Renée Good, the thought was that the FBI and the BCA would jointly investigate. That’s what we were told until we learned that the FBI was boxing the BCA out of critical evidence and information. My response is: If you got nothing to hide, welcome it. My hope is that the BCA will be investigating both cases, and I do know that there are steps being taken to that end.
When we met in 2021, it was during the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder, and you told me that it was a time that changed you forever. What lessons did you learn from that crisis that you’ve taken into this one?
I’m going to answer that question, but let me make another point. Back then, we were talking about the culture shift that was essential within our police department. Fast-forward four or five years: Our police are getting broad recognition for their restraint, for their de-escalation abilities. Some of the harshest critics, back when we talked last, are now applauding the work of our Minneapolis Police Department and juxtaposing it vis-à-vis the federal agents. Granted, we are extraordinarily short-staffed. They also have all of their regular day-to-day work, but they have been incredible. I mean, they’re tired. Days off have been canceled. One of the things that I now have a concern for is fatigue. When they make a mistake, there’s life-and-death consequences.
One of the things I’ve noticed since ’20, ’21, ’22: I was more scripted. There were a few years where I—like, I’m sure, many other politicians—was concerned about saying the wrong thing, stepping on a landmine. Now I’ve got talking points but I’m less scripted and therefore a whole lot more authentic. What I’ve realized is that people can see it when it’s real and when you’re faking it.
There’s this now famous press conference where you told ICE to “get the fuck out of Minneapolis.” Did you plan to say it that way, or did you get fired up in the moment?
I knew I was going to say it. It wasn’t, like, in the speech. I knew I was going to be forceful, and I guess I wasn’t totally positive about what way that force would come out. I didn’t necessarily know it would be an F-bomb. Some have argued that that increased tensions. I would argue, and I know, that it lessened them, because in that moment my constituents needed to be heard. It was a moment of honestly saying what needs to happen here. It was also to say to my constituents: I know you’re angry. I hear you.
I think that’s what a lot of people want from the Democratic Party. What do you think Democrats most need to do to respond to this moment and get power back in the midterms and in 2028?
I’ve heard from some business leaders, even some politicians, say, “If I speak out too much, then maybe I will be the target.” And if you don’t, we all will be. If you were to talk to people locally, none of them would know me as a radical leftist. I’m a progressive person. I’m left-leaning nationwide, certainly, but in Minneapolis, I’ve frequently been the guy that says, “Hang on a second.” There have been more than a few times when, to their chagrin, I’ve disagreed with the activists of Minneapolis. But here’s the thing: They are right in speaking out right now. They are right in protesting. The conduct we’ve seen is against the law. It’s unconstitutional.
Do you think the Democratic Party is doing enough to combat what’s happening?
I’d say we all need to be doing more. I don’t pretend to understand the machinations of the federal government. I met with [Senate Minority Leader Chuck] Schumer just yesterday, the leader of the Senate with a brilliant mind and just an excellent leader. As a mayor, it’d probably be easy for me to say, “You got to be doing more.” We’re all trying to navigate this time when these foundational norms and the underpinnings of our democracy and our republic are being sledgehammered. A reporter asked me a question the other day—we’ve got a big court case, hopefully we get a decision today or Monday—“You get a favorable decision, what if Donald Trump ignores the court order?” It’s the right question to ask, but, holy shit, is that really where we’re at right now? I think everybody’s doing their best to navigate this. Stand up, and have the courage to be a patriot.
I know you’re a runner. Are you running through this crisis, in that below-zero weather?
I have not really gotten many runs in this last week. I was hoping to get one in today or tomorrow. That was the hope. I need one.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
