Looking Back, Looking Forward

Instead of a pure 2024 recap, I'm looking ahead at 2025 and the elephant in the room

by Keith Ellison, Minnesota Attorney General

In most Januarys, I like to take a look back at the past year, recapping highlights of the work my Office was able to do for Minnesotans. As we wrap up the first week of 2025, I think this occasion calls for something different, as I know many Minnesotans are concerned about the incoming presidential administration.

And there are good reasons for concern. While it’s true that we’ve been through a Trump presidency before, this time might not be like last time. Trump will have fewer guardrails in his second term. The courts are more conservative, up to and including the Supreme Court. The administration has a clearer picture of what it wants to do and how. And there will be fewer dissenting voices tempering Trump’s worst instincts.

We don’t know the future, but we’ve seen and heard enough to know what may be coming. So, for my last podcast of 2024 I talked about how my Office plans to approach Trump’s second term (Spotify / Apple). I encourage you to take a listen – but here are the headlines:

If this administration’s dangerous rhetoric moves into action that violates our laws, my Office is not going to just stand around and watch it happen. We're going to enforce the law, period.

And if Donald Trump or his administration infringe on people’s civil rights Minnesota, I will use the power of my Office to protect Minnesotans – because that’s how we fulfill our mission to help people afford their lives and live with dignity, safety, and respect.

This episode also looks back at some of the ways we did just that in 2024, giving me full confidence that we’ll be ready to keep up that important work in 2025 and beyond.

Check out the full episode, and subscribe to make sure you catch the next one.