The White House moved on Monday to distance President Donald Trump from incendiary descriptions of a man shot dead by federal agents in Minnesota, after video footage contradicted initial claims that he was a gunman. Alex Pretti was shot multiple times in the back after being tackled and disarmed, according to widely circulated footage, undercutting earlier assertions by senior officials that he posed a threat.
Over the weekend, Stephen Miller, the deputy chief of staff, branded Pretti a “domestic terrorist who tried to assassinate law enforcement”, while Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem accused him of “domestic terrorism”. At a briefing on Monday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt sidestepped questions about those remarks, insisting the administration would wait for investigations to conclude. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche attempted to backpedal, telling Fox News that the characterisations were not meant as legal definitions.
President Trump appeared to seek an off-ramp by phoning Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, describing the call as “very good” and saying they were on the “same wavelength”. Walz’s office said Trump agreed to consider reducing the number of federal agents in the state and to ensure that the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) could conduct an independent investigation, rather than relying solely on internal inquiries by the Department of Homeland Security.
The BCA had complained over the weekend that federal agents blocked them from accessing the scene, even after they obtained a court order. Trump also announced he would send “border czar” Tom Homan to oversee operations in Minneapolis, replacing the current US border patrol official in charge, Gregory Bovino. The move was seen as a rebuke to Noem, who has been at odds with Homan.
Despite the backtrack, Leavitt continued to blame Walz and Democrats for the tragedy, stating: “This tragedy occurred as a result of a deliberate and hostile resistance by Democrat leaders for weeks.” Privately, administration officials described the shooting as an unintentional error by agents who were spooked by a possible accidental discharge of Pretti’s gun after it was taken from him.
