Delusional Trump Shifts Blame for Killings of U.S. Citizens
The president spent 530 words blaming other people.
Donald Trump has attempted to blame Democrats for the brutal public killings of two American citizens this month by his immigration officers.
On Saturday, Veterans Affairs nurse Alex Pretti was shot dead in Minneapolis, just three weeks after an ICE agent killed Renee Good in the same area.
Hours after Pretti, 37, was killed, Trump held a screening of Amazon’s upcoming Melania documentary at the White House, attended by CEOs including Apple’s Tim Cook.
U.S. President Donald Trump is pictured in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 22, 2026.
Xinhua News Agency/Xinhua News Agency via Getty Ima
Trump, 79, on Sunday wrote two lengthy posts, clocking in at almost 530 words combined, that slammed former President Joe Biden, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for not playing ball with the Republican-sanctioned ICE raids.
Neither of them mentioned Pretti or Good by name, just a footnote that added, “tragically, two American Citizens have lost their lives as a result of this Democrat ensued chaos.”
Donald Trump posts about Democrats on Truth Social.
screen grab
Trump lays out his ICE strategy on Truth Social.
screen grab
Sticking to his usual script of “Crooked” Biden signing off on “Tens of Millions of Illegal Aliens” entering the U.S., Trump insisted the problem was a political one.
Get the best of The Beast delivered right to your inbox
By clicking “SUBSCRIBE” you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
He claimed Republican run states of Texas, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and Louisiana had arrested “150,245 Criminal Illegal Aliens” in the past year “with ZERO protest, riots, chaos.”
“Meanwhile, Democrat run Sanctuary Cities and States are REFUSING to cooperate with ICE, and they are actually encouraging Leftwing Agitators to unlawfully obstruct their operations to arrest the Worst of the Worst People!,” Trump claimed.
“By doing this, Democrats are putting Illegal Alien Criminals over Taxpaying, Law-Abiding Citizens, and they have created dangerous circumstances for EVERYONE involved. Tragically, two American Citizens have lost their lives as a result of this Democrat ensued chaos.”
His solution was for Walz, Frey and “EVERY Democrat Governor and Mayor” in the U.S. “to formally cooperate with the Trump Administration to enforce our Nation’s Laws, rather than resist and stoke the flames of Division, Chaos, and Violence.”
The Daily Beast has contacted reps for Biden, Walz, and Frey for comment.
Also on Sunday, Trump twice avoided direct questions about whether the agent who fatally shot Pretti had done the right thing and said his administration would investigate the death, which was caught on camera.
“We’re looking, we’re reviewing everything and will come out with a determination,” Trump told The Wall Street Journal.
The president had posted a photo, reportedly of a gun legally owned by Pretti, on Truth Social on Saturday, without mentioning the ICU nurse had been killed by ICE agents.
“I don’t like any shooting. I don’t like it,” Trump told the WSJ. “But I don’t like it when somebody goes into a protest and he’s got a very powerful, fully loaded gun with two magazines loaded up with bullets also. That doesn’t play good either.”
Demonstrators gather in a heavy snowstorm on Michigan Avenue to protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in Chicago, US on January 25, 2026.
Anadolu/Anadolu via Getty Images
Trump said the weapon, which the DHS said was a 9mm semiautomatic handgun, was a “very dangerous gun, a dangerous and unpredictable gun. It’s a gun that goes off when people don’t know it.”
Footage of the incident from several angles appears to show that Pretti was not carrying the weapon when confronted by a group of ICE officers during a protest. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem called the nurse a “terrorist” but deflected questions about his weapon.
Speaking to the WSJ, Trump did admit ICE officers will leave Minneapolis, but did not offer an exact date for the withdrawal.
“At some point we will leave. We’ve done, they’ve done a phenomenal job,” he said, adding, “We’ll leave a different group of people there for the financial fraud.”
Protesters against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) march through the streets of downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, on January 25, 2026.
ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images
See more of our coverage in your search results.
Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.
Unlock a year of full access to The Looker and The Daily Beast for $35.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Looker and The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.
Sign in
Login dialog
Sign in or create an account
Login dialog
Loading comments…