Trump’s attacks on Minnesota reek of hypocrisy and retribution
Let’s be clear: President Joe Biden’s DOJ began investigating $250 million in Covid-era fraud in Minnesota in 2022. During the pandemic. The current media, pundit and MAGA hysteria over possible fraud in day care facilities was triggered by a influencer video that CBS news has been unable to corroborate.
President Donald Trump could care less about fraud, based on his behavior. Hypocrisy, thy name is Trump.
One of the first things he did after assuming office on January 20, 2025, was to fire 17 independent inspectors general whose job includes rooting out fraud and waste.
KFF Health News reported in April 2025 that “[i]n his first and second terms, Trump has granted pardons or commutations to at least 68 people convicted of fraud crimes or of interfering with fraud investigations.”
Those fraud cases included these four Florida health care cases (not an exhaustive list):
- Trump commuted the 35-year sentence of Florida-based Judith Negron in 2020. She was convicted of $205 million in Medicare fraud associated with senior living facilities.
- A jury convicted Philip Esformes of a $1.3 billion Medicare fraud scheme. Trump commuted his sentence in 2020. He was arrested in Florida on unrelated charges in 2024.
- Dr. Salomon Melgen of West Palm Beach was found guilty of 67 counts Medicare fraud totaling $42 million. In 2018, a U.S. District Judge sentenced him to 17 years in prison. In January 2021, Trump commuted his sentence.
- Lawrence Duran was convicted in 2011 for defrauding Medicare of $205 million. He and his girlfriend walked away with $87 million in “the largest therapy-related Medicare fraud scheme in history.” Trump commuted the Floridian’s sentence in May 2025, waiving restitution in the process.
But retribution? That’s Trump’s calling card.
In his first campaign rally of 2023, Trump told supporters in Waco, TX that “I am your warrior, I am your justice … For those who have been wronged and betrayed … I am your retribution.” I don’t think the clemency outlined above was what those supporters had in mind, especially when those harmed are no longer entitled to restitution.
According to Reuters, as of November 2025 Trump had targeted almost 500 people for retribution. Half were singled out by name. Others were “crackdowns on groups of perceived opponents,” such as FBI agents who kneeled in support of Black Lives Matter in 2020.
Are there problems in day care facilities in Minnesota? Maybe. There are probably problems in day care centers in every state but that does not mean they are the majority of the centers nor that children or taxpayers are being harmed.
Although he presented no evidence of widespread child care fraud, Deputy HHS Director Jim O’Neill announced on Twitter/X on December 30, 2025, that “blatant fraud … appears to be rampant in Minnesota and across the country.”
As the Trump Administration continues to govern via social networks, O’Neill also wrote that “all ACF (Administration for Children and Families) payments across America will require a justification and a receipt or photo evidence before we send money to a state.” State funds will be released “only when states prove they are being spent legitimately.”
A spokesperson corrected the tweet, telling AP that the additional evidence is needed only for money in the Child Care and Development Fund.
Certainly, the unsubstantiated case in Minnesota does not justify Trump’s guilty-until-proven-innocent decision to withhold funds designed to assist children in every state in the Union. Especially without Congressional or regulatory authorization.
President Trump’s focus on Minnesota is predicated on three things, and fraud isn’t in the picture: (1) Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz was the Democratic party vice presidential candidate; (2) Minnesota voted for Vice President Kamala Harris; and (3) Trump is a bigot (he called Minnesota’s Somalian community “garbage”).
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