Trump Says He Doesn't Think Alex Pretti Was Acting as an Assassin When He Died After DHS Claimed He Wanted to 'Massacre' Agents By Paloma Chavez

President Donald Trump said he doesn’t believe Alex Pretti was “acting as an assassin” in Minneapolis before Border Patrol killed him, contradicting the Department of Homeland Security’s claim that he was looking to “massacre law enforcement.”

“I don’t think so,” Trump, 79, told a reporter on Tuesday, Jan. 27, before boarding a flight for Iowa, when asked if he thought Pretti was an intended assassin.

Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse and American citizen, was shot and killed by Border Patrol while he was filming their immigration operation on Saturday, Jan. 24. DHS assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin said soon afterward that Pretti got in the agents’ path during a “targeted operation” against “an illegal alien wanted for violent assault.”

McLaughlin claimed that Pretti “approached” officers while armed with a handgun and “violently resisted” as they attempted to disarm him, adding, “This looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.” McLaughlin said “defensive shots” were fired at Pretti.

Witnesses later shared videos that contradicted DHS’ claims about the fatal shooting — including that he was holding a phone, not a gun, when officers pepper sprayed him and brought him to the ground, and that he appeared to have already had the weapon on his waist disarmed before shots were fired.

The day after the shooting, Pretti’s family took to social media to release a statement, slamming the DHS’ claims as “sickening lies” and calling the Trump administration “reprehensible and disgusting.”

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Trump did clarify that he still believes Pretti was wrong for showing up to the protest with a gun on his waist, saying, “You can’t have guns, you can’t walk in with guns.”

“It is a very unfortunate incident,” Trump added.

The reporter pushed back on Trump’s comments, suggesting Pretti’s actions were protected by the Second Amendment right to bear arms. Pretti was a lawful gun owner, according to Minneapolis police, and having a weapon on his person was not against state law.

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Pretti’s possession of a gun at the time of his death has divided Republicans, with many conservatives breaking rank to speak out against Trump’s DHS for rhetoric that seemingly counters the Second Amendment.

In a post on X, Republican Bill Essayli, the first assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, defended the DHS position, saying, “If you approach law enforcement with a gun, there is a high likelihood they will be legally justified in shooting you.”

His comment earned swift condemnation from the National Rifle Association, which wrote on X, “This sentiment from the First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California is dangerous and wrong.”

“Responsible public voices should be awaiting a full investigation, not making generalizations and demonizing law-abiding citizens,” the conservative gun-rights organization continued.

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Following the Jan. 6 Capitol riots in 2021, hours into his first day in office on Jan. 20, Trump pardoned about 1,500 people who were charged in the attack.

Roughly 174 defendants were charged with using a dangerous weapon against police officers during the Capitol riots.