Former US President Donald Trump has faced sharp accusations of disseminating propaganda after making a series of demonstrably false claims about a fatal shooting involving an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Contradicting the Official Account
The incident occurred on the afternoon of 7th January 2026, during an immigration raid. A 37-year-old woman was shot dead as she appeared to attempt driving away from ICE officers. However, the narrative put forward by Trump on his Truth Social platform starkly contradicted the available evidence.
In his post, Trump claimed that video footage showed the driver had "violently, wilfully and viciously ran over" the ICE agent, leaving the officer injured. He further asserted the shooter was "recovering in hospital". Official accounts and video evidence confirm none of these statements are true; the officer walked away apparently unharmed.
Swift Rejection from Minnesota Officials
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz was quick to condemn Trump's version of events. In a social media post, Walz stated, "I've seen the video. Don't believe this propaganda machine." He later expanded on his criticism in a press appearance, lambasting the "total chaos" of the federal response and directly addressing Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem: "You've done enough."
Walz expressed outrage at the handling of the scene and the premature conclusions, stating, "We have someone dead in their car for no reason whatsoever." Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey was even more blunt in disputing the Department of Homeland Security's suggestion that officers fired in self-defence, calling the claim "bullshit" and labelling the shooting a reckless use of power.
Conflicting Narratives and Unverified Claims
The conflicting stories escalated rapidly. Secretary Kristi Noem issued a statement within an hour of the incident, controversially describing it as an "act of domestic terrorism". She claimed ICE officers were "stuck in the snow" and that the woman attempted to run them over. Video footage, however, shows clear streets with no immobilised vehicles.
Eyewitness video from the scene depicts an officer firing at least three shots at point-blank range into the driver's side of an SUV as it moved away from officers, not toward them. No officers were in the vehicle's path when it subsequently crashed.
The incident has ignited a fierce political row, centring on the spread of misinformation by a major political figure and raising serious questions about the conduct and accountability of federal immigration enforcement operations.
