Trump doesn’t want Americans hurt but blames Democrats: White House
Reporters raise their hands to ask a question as White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, on January 26, 2026, in Washington.
| Photo Credit: AP
“Nobody in the White House, including President Trump, wants to see people getting hurt or killed in America’s streets,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.
She described the shooting death of Alex Pretti, whom a Mr. Trump aide had quickly and without evidence branded a “domestic terrorist”, by federal agents on Saturday (January 24) as a “tragedy.”
“We mourn for the parents. As a mother myself, of course, I cannot imagine the loss of life,” she said.
But the conciliatory tone was short-lived. Ms. Leavitt quickly blamed the rival Democratic Party for unrest that has broken out since Mr. Trump ordered a surge in Minneapolis by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), masked and armed agents deployed in force against local wishes.
“This tragedy occurred as a result of a deliberate and hostile resistance by Democrat leaders in Minnesota,” Ms. Leavitt said, blaming Governor Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey, both Democrats.
She accused elected Democrats of “spreading lies about federal law enforcement officers who are risking their lives daily to remove the worst criminal illegal aliens from our streets.”
She demanded that Mr. Walz, to whom Mr. Trump spoke by telephone on Monday (January 26), and Mr. Frey fully cooperate with federal agents and “turn over all illegal aliens” detained by local authorities.
Mr. Pretti had a permit to carry a gun, although video footage did not show him taking out his weapon before ICE agents appeared to shoot him multiple times.
Mr. Trump’s Republican Party long has defended the right to carry weapons virtually without restriction, and Ms. Leavitt said Mr. Trump supports the right to bear arms.
But she added, “Any gun owner knows that when you are carrying a weapon, when you are bearing arms and you are confronted by law enforcement, you are raising the assumption of risk, and the risk of force being used against you.”
“That’s unfortunately what took place on Saturday,” she said.
Published – January 27, 2026 01:54 am IST
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