The X post from Benny Johnson (

@bennyjohnson
) on January 20, 2026, shows a dramatic moment from President Trump's surprise appearance at the White House press briefing room (on the first anniversary of his second term).Post text:
"Holy smokes. President Trump SHOCKS the Fake News with a surprise press briefing appearance. He’s holding up DOZENS of mugshots of criminal aliens in Minnesota FORCING THEM to see who Tim Walz, Jacob Frey, and they themselves are protecting."It includes a video clip (about 1 minute 45 seconds long) where Trump stands at the podium, flipping through and holding up a thick stack of printed mugshots and arrest records. He repeatedly calls them "Minnesota worst of the worst," describes the individuals as "rough characters," and highlights serious crimes like homicide, drug dealing, sexual offenses, and more — attributing the situation to open-border policies and accusing Minnesota officials (especially Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey) of protecting or failing to address these "criminal aliens" arrested by ICE.The post has received very strong engagement: over 26,000 likes, 5,700+ reposts, and hundreds of replies/quotes, mostly from conservative users praising the move as bold and calling out Democrats.Broader context (from January 20, 2026 reporting):
This occurred amid heightened tensions in Minnesota over a large-scale federal immigration enforcement surge (ICE operations) in the Minneapolis–St. Paul area. There had been protests (including one that disrupted a church service), a fatal shooting involving an ICE agent, and accusations of local officials obstructing federal agents. The DOJ had subpoenaed Walz, Frey, and others as part of a probe into alleged obstruction/conspiracy to impede immigration enforcement. Trump used the briefing to spotlight the arrests and criticize Minnesota's Democratic leadership, while also touching on other topics like his administration's accomplishments.The video and stunt were widely covered by outlets as a pointed political statement on immigration policy, with Trump directly confronting reporters by making them look at the photos.