President Trump weighed in heavily on the controversy surrounding the fatal shooting of ICU nurse Alex Pretti, calling the 37-year-old an “agitator, and perhaps, insurrectionist,” and suggesting Pretti’s public standing had “gone way down,” as reported by The Hill. The president’s comments followed the release of a new video appearing to show Pretti clashing violently with federal authorities just over a week before he was killed by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis.
The newly surfaced footage shows a chaotic scene involving protesters shouting at immigration enforcement officers next to their vehicle. The video then clearly captures Pretti spitting on the SUV and kicking the taillight twice, causing the new and expensive government vehicle’s light to shatter into pieces. An officer quickly exited the car, grabbed Pretti, and shoved him to the ground while Pretti repeatedly yelled, “Help me, help me.”
President Trump went on Truth Social to deliver a sharp rebuke of Pretti’s actions shown in the clip. “Agitator, and perhaps, insurrectionist, Alex Pretti’s stock has gone way down with the just released video of him screaming and spitting in the face of a very calm and under control ICE officer, and then crazily kicking in a new and very expensive government vehicle, so hard and violent, in fact, that the taillight broke off in pieces,” President Trump wrote in an overnight post.
President Trump’s recent remarks closely mirror the initial, highly controversial statements made by other administration officials in the immediate aftermath of Pretti’s death
The president continued, praising the officer’s demeanor during the encounter. “It was quite a display of abuse and anger, for all to see, crazed and out of control. The ICE Officer was calm and cool, not an easy thing to be under those circumstances! MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.”
The confrontation, which occurred 11 days before Pretti was shot and killed, also reportedly resulted in Pretti suffering a broken rib. The video appears to show officers deploying tear gas into the crowd before driving away. Interestingly, as Pretti was released, a handgun was visibly tucked into his waistband.
This detail around the weapon has sparked a lively debate, because Pretti was legally permitted to carry the firearm. This fact has positioned gun rights activists against the Trump administration officials, including the president himself, concerning whether the protester was within his rights to carry the weapon while protesting.
For instance, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem previously labeled Pretti a “domestic terrorist.” Border Patrol Commander-at-large Gregory Bovino also claimed Pretti had brandished a gun at officers and wanted to do “maximum damage and massacre law enforcement,” though video evidence contradicted the claim that Pretti had brandished the weapon.
Published: Jan 30, 2026 03:00 pm