• Vietnam veteran says military policing cities marks America as ‘third world country’
• Ventura visited Minneapolis high school after ICE confrontation with staff
• Former governor hints at second gubernatorial run to ‘clean up’ state politics

MINNEAPOLIS (TDR) — Former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura delivered scathing criticism of President Donald Trump Thursday, comparing current ICE enforcement tactics in American cities to 1930s Germany and declaring the United States has become a “third world country.”

The Vietnam War veteran and former professional wrestler made the comments outside Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis, his alma mater, following the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Wednesday and a separate ICE confrontation at the school.

“We’re a third world country now. You wanna know why? I’m an expert, I’ve been to them. I spent 17 months in Southeast Asia while the draft dodger was playing golf.”

Military Police Work Signals Dictatorship

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Ventura, who served as a Navy SEAL in Southeast Asia, drew on his military experience to explain why he believes America now resembles authoritarian regimes.

“You know how I know we’re a third-world country? Because in third-world countries, they have the military doing their police work in the cities,” the former governor told reporters.

He urged Americans to “wake up” and study historical parallels. “Read your history of Germany and start comparing the tactics of what happened in 1930s Germany to what’s happening here. This is what happens in a dictatorship.”

‘Draft Dodging Coward’ Criticism

When asked if he had a message for Trump, Ventura refused to use the president’s name, instead referring to him as a “draft dodging coward.”

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“He’s the draft dodging coward who, when it was time to serve his country, he did what all rich white boys did,” Ventura said. “I wasn’t a rich white boy. I grew up in South Minneapolis. Most of my friends are Vietnam veterans. We had to go. And yet he’s gonna tell me what courage is?”

Ventura, who was born James Janos in 1951 before adopting his wrestling persona, served as Minnesota’s governor from 1999 to 2003 representing the Reform Party.

Fatal Shooting Sparks Outrage

The comments came one day after ICE agents shot and killed Renee Good, a mother of three driving home after dropping her son at school. Social media video shows an ICE officer approaching her vehicle and demanding she open the door before another agent drew his weapon and fired at least two shots as she attempted to drive away.

“Any time you have the loss of life that needlessly happens, that’s a tragedy,” Ventura said. “And what occurred yesterday didn’t have to happen.”

Minneapolis Public Schools canceled classes and announced remote learning for the next month. ICE officers also detained a worker at Roosevelt High School Wednesday, using pepper spray during the encounter.

Republicans Are ‘Domestic Enemies’

Ventura praised Roosevelt High School for keeping ICE officers off campus, declaring his pride in the school’s defense of constitutional principles.

“Freedom is not arresting people without warrants. We have a system here. It’s called a Constitution. And we have a party, the Republicans, who don’t seem to want to abide by the Constitution,” he stated.

Citing the January 6, 2021, Capitol riots, Ventura declared: “I took an oath to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. After January 6, I view the Republican Party as a domestic enemy to our Constitution.”

Potential Gubernatorial Comeback

Ventura hinted he may seek a return to the governor’s office now that Tim Walz announced he will not seek a third term.

“I did one term. I am owed a second,” Ventura told reporters. “I was leading a nice quiet life. You’ve injected me back into this and will probably make me the governor of Minnesota.”

The former governor, who has not watched news since November 2024, said he “stumbled onto” coverage of the shooting. “Somebody has to clean up what the Democrats and Republicans constantly wreck,” he stated.

White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson dismissed Ventura’s criticism as “Trump Derangement Syndrome,” stating the president is “making our streets safe and our country secure.”

When a Vietnam veteran and former governor compares federal enforcement to Nazi Germany, should Americans heed his historical warning or dismiss it as political hyperbole?

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