President Donald Trump on Tuesday forcefully condemned anti-ICE protesters who disrupted a church service in Minnesota over the weekend, branding them “lunatics” and amplifying calls for serious consequences against those involved, including former CNN anchor Don Lemon, who livestreamed the incident from inside the church.
In a sharply worded post, Trump described the incident as a “Church Raid,” accusing those involved of acting like trained agitators rather than spontaneous demonstrators. He labeled the protesters “agitators and insurrectionists” and argued they should be “thrown in jail, or thrown out of the Country.” Trump also called for investigations into Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Rep. Ilhan Omar, accusing them of corruption, though he did not provide evidence to support those claims.
Trump wrote that the footage of the disruption showed behavior that did not appear organic, asserting that the protesters were professionals trained to scream, rant, and provoke chaos in a coordinated way. He said no ordinary person behaves in that manner and described the demonstrators as troublemakers whose actions crossed a clear line. He singled out Walz and Omar by name, urging authorities to investigate what he called corrupt politicians and to do so immediately.
The president also reposted a message from another user that called on prosecutors to seek harsh penalties against Lemon. That repost referenced the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, known as the FACE Act, and explicitly argued that Lemon and others involved in the church disruption should face prison time. The message compared the situation to a case in which elderly women protesting at an abortion clinic received lengthy sentences for violating the law, suggesting similar consequences should apply to those who entered the church during services.
Trump’s remarks came as the Department of Justice confirmed it is pursuing charges related to Sunday’s incident at a church in St. Paul, where demonstrators entered the building while worshippers were gathered. Lemon was present throughout the protest, livestreaming as he followed the group inside the church.
The Justice Department’s civil rights chief, Harmeet Dhillon, addressed the situation publicly and singled out Lemon in her remarks. Dhillon said that claiming to be a journalist does not serve as a shield from criminal liability and suggested Lemon was aware of what was unfolding during the disruption. While she did not confirm whether Lemon would ultimately face charges, her comments made clear that federal authorities are examining his role.
Dhillon also raised the possibility of enforcement under the Enforcement Act of 1871, commonly known as the Ku Klux Klan Act, a Reconstruction-era law designed to protect civil rights. Her reference to the statute underscored the seriousness with which the Justice Department is treating the disruption of a religious service.
Lemon responded to the controversy with a social media post of his own, pushing back against the accusations. He defended his actions and claimed the administration and MAGA-aligned influencers were “manufacturing outrage” in their response. Lemon made those remarks to NBC News as the debate over the incident continued to escalate.
The episode has intensified national attention on the balance between protest activity, religious freedom, and accountability, with Trump and federal officials signaling that disruptions of worship services will not be treated lightly.
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