How could a second Trump presidency affect Minnesotans? 6 experts answer your questions
Go Deeper.
Create an account or log in to save stories.
Like this?
Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.
On Monday, Donald Trump will be inaugurated for his second term as President of the United States.
As Trump prepares to carry out his agenda, we asked experts to answer questions you asked about what the next four years could look like here in Minnesota.
The experts answered your questions about:
Abortion rights
Gender-affirming health care
Immigration
The medical device industry
Special education
Clean energy rebates
For the full conversation about each of these questions, use the embedded audio player.
Turn Up Your Support
MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all.
Would a federal abortion ban supersede Minnesota abortion rights?
—Kennedy in St. Paul
Amanda Allen, co-founder of the Lawyering Project, said the short answer is yes.
A federal ban or restriction on abortion would supersede state constitutional protections or laws allowing access to abortion.
Allen was one of the main counsels behind a Minnesota case that led to a 2022 state Supreme Court ruling striking down several abortion restrictions and reaffirming the state constitutional right to an abortion.
Gov. Tim Walz also signed the Protect Reproductive Options Act in 2023. It guarantees the right to abortion and other reproductive health care options in Minnesota.
This would potentially all go out the window if a federal ban were to be enacted.
“Elections have consequences. We are facing a situation where the vast majority of Americans want to see abortion access,” she said. “Yet, we also saw Americans elect the person responsible for overturning Roe v. Wade.”
Minnesota has become somewhat of a trans refuge state. But is there anything that can be done at the federal level to override our protections? — Alex in Eden Prairie
Jess Braverman is the legal director for Gender Justice, a Minnesota nonprofit that seeks to advance gender-equity through law. Their response is: not without legal action.
“For Trump, the most potent tools he has are fear and chaos,” Braverman said. “Of course, any executive order that he passes will be challenged.”
In 2023, Walz signed legislation making Minnesota a refuge state for those seeking gender-affirming care. The law prevents state officials from cooperating in out-of-state investigations if there’s action based on gender-affirming medical care in Minnesota.
The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing a case from Tennessee that could determine whether it’s constitutional for states to ban gender-affirming healthcare for trans youth. But Braverman emphasizes that for now, gender-affirming health care is protected.
“Don’t assume that you’ve lost the rights before you’ve actually lost them,” Braverman said.
How would Trump’s promise to deport undocumented immigrants affect Minnesotan cities that have declared themselves sanctuary cities?
—Benny in Minneapolis
The answer lies in understanding the debate that arose during the first Trump presidency over so-called “sanctuary cities.”
Linus Chan, an immigration attorney and law professor at the University of Minnesota, explained that some cities, including Minneapolis, passed ordinances prohibiting city officials and law enforcement from asking about or investigating a person’s legal status. It was meant to prevent local resources from being used to carry out immigration enforcement, which is a federal matter.
During his first term, Trump tried to withhold federal funding from cities with these ordinances, but his order ultimately was blocked.
The takeaway, Chan said, is: “Local and state officials will continue to have a tremendous amount of discretion about whether and how much they want to have their resources to be used for immigration enforcement.”
What impact would gutting the Food and Drug Administration have on medical device companies such as Medtronic, one of the biggest companies in Minnesota?
—Mohammed in Blaine
Mark Gardner, who founded a law firm representing FDA-regulated companies in the state, said it’s unlikely Trump — or any government official — could actually “gut” the FDA.
“These are public servants that you can’t fire unless you have cause. They’re unionized, a lot of them, and you’d have to pay incredible severances,” he said.
Concerns over the future of the FDA came after Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s pick for health secretary, seemed to suggest in a social media post that he would carry out a mass firing of FDA staff.
Gardner said this would be an unpopular move because of the risk of delays and “bad actors” entering the medical device industry. There’d be outrage from companies like Medtronic, Gardner said, because their business relies on having a strong watchdog to keep the playing field level and the public safe.
If the President-Elect eliminates the Department of Education, as he has promised to do, how does that affect special education in Minnesota? — Gillian in St. Paul
Tonia Teasley is the executive director of PACER Center, an organization helping families with children with a disability get access to a classroom education. She said special education is federally protected because of the Individuals with Disabilities Education (IDEA) Act of 1975.
“It is an Act of Congress that would have to be administered by a different agency if the Department of Education no longer existed.” Teasley said.
She also emphasized that the U.S. president alone cannot eliminate the Department of Education. That would take a vote from Congress. Even so, the IDEA act would still stand.
If the federal act were to be repealed, which Teasley said is unlikely, she said Minnesota has much of the IDEA Act provisions codified into state law. She added that this is an issue that affects people of all backgrounds. No one wants to come out against kids with disabilities, she said.
What would a Trump Administration mean for incentives for buying EVs? —Lisa Smith in Maplewood
Jukka Kukkonen is the chief EV educator and strategist for Shift-to-Electric. He said global market forces are likely more important than the Trump administration's priorities.
“We are in a global competition, and the only way to compete, to stay competitive, is to compete. That’s the only way to do it,” Kukkonen said. “You can’t just say we're out of this one.”
Kukkonen said federal rebates in place from the Inflation Reduction Act will likely stay in place, for now.
“They are written in law. And for anything to change in that area, legislators would have to get involved,” Kukkonen said. “Congress would have to get involved. The Trump Administration themselves can change the rules of the game a little bit, but it still requires a process.”
Dear reader,
Political debates with family or friends can get heated. But what if there was a way to handle them better?
You can learn how to have civil political conversations with our new e-book!
Download our free e-book, Talking Sense: Have Hard Political Conversations, Better, and learn how to talk without the tension.
