February 1, 2026

From the state capitol to the U.S. Senate, my friend Sen. Tina Smith has spent her life and career fighting for the people of Minnesota. Today, that fight has never been more important. 

We’ve all witnessed the horror and tragedy in her home state. Sen. Smith has been standing up against Trump’s masked army in the Senate and on the ground. She joined me to expose the threat ICE poses to the midterm elections and uplift the stories of the brave Minnesotans fighting for their neighbors. 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Marc Elias: Senator Tina Smith, welcome to Defending Democracy.

Senator Tina Smith: Thank you so much for doing this, Marc. I'm glad to have a chance to talk with you in this crazy moment.

Marc Elias: I wish it was under better circumstances. You and I actually first met when you were the chief of staff to the mayor of Minneapolis and then we worked together a little bit. I did Mark Dayton's recount election when he ran for governor, you were his chief of staff.

And the reason why I mentioned this is because in some ways you are uniquely well-situated, not just because you're currently a senator from Minnesota and dealing with all of the horrors of ICE and border patrol and the human tragedies, but also because you better than anyone know what is going on in the governor's office and in the mayor's office. So give us your sense of this tragedy, why the Trump administration is picking on Minnesota and Minneapolis to all places and what you're seeing on the ground.

Senator Tina Smith: It's funny you say that because I've been thinking a lot the last couple of days about how in the time that I've been in public service, I've been in positions of leadership through some pretty incredible tragedies. The I-35W bridge collapsing into the Mississippi River when I worked for Mayor Rybak, and then the murder of George Floyd when I was senator, the officer-involved killings of Philando Castile when Mark was governor. And so I have been through these traumatic events, but I have never seen anything like what we are seeing in Minnesota right now.

The Trump administration, with all of its authoritarian intentions, is using Minnesota as a proving ground. And it's all happening at once. It is certainly the gross violations of people's civil rights with the cruel immigration crackdown...