A video from days before Alex Pretti’s death just gave Trump new ammunition, and his critics are horrified

President Trump is seizing on newly surfaced video footage of Alex Pretti, a Minneapolis nurse fatally shot by federal agents, to portray him as an “agitator” and possible “insurrectionist.” The footage has emerged amid sustained backlash over the administration’s aggressive immigration crackdown in Minnesota, as detailed by The New York Times.

The president amplified those claims in a social media post, after videos circulated showing a tense confrontation between Pretti and federal agents that occurred 11 days before he was killed. The footage has drawn renewed attention as officials continue to defend the actions of the agents involved in the fatal shooting.

The resurfaced video shows Pretti engaged in a physical and verbal clash with agents during a protest. He is seen shouting, spitting toward agents, and appearing to kick a taillight on one of their SUVs before being pushed to the ground.

The video is reshaping the political narrative

President Trump quickly pointed to the footage to bolster his claims. A shift in messaging reminiscent of recent disputes where House leadership publicly condemned federal action after a journalist’s detention, with Jeffries ripping the DOJ stance, using it to argue broader issues of federal legitimacy. In the post on social media, he wrote that Pretti was an “agitator and, perhaps, insurrectionist,” adding that the video showed him “screaming and spitting in the face of a very calm and under control ICE Officer.”

Pretti’s family has strongly rejected that characterization. His parents and sister have publicly accused administration officials of spreading false claims about him, emphasizing that he worked as a nurse treating patients at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Minneapolis.

The administration is already facing intense scrutiny over its immigration enforcement operations in the state. Two Americans, Pretti and Renee Good, have been killed during encounters with federal agents this month, with officials maintaining that both shootings were justified and necessary.

Questions have persisted about the circumstances of Pretti’s death. Authorities previously claimed he intended to “massacre” law enforcement officers, but no evidence has been released showing that he fired or attempted to use the firearm he was carrying when he was killed on January 24. Under Minnesota law, carrying a firearm at a protest is not illegal.

The confrontation highlighted by the president occurred on January 13, more than a week before the fatal shooting. Steve Schleicher, an attorney representing Pretti’s family, said the earlier incident could not be used to justify the killing, noting that nothing from that encounter established Pretti as a threat at the time he was shot.

Even as the president has said he wants to “de-escalate” tensions in Minnesota, he has continued to describe anti-ICE demonstrators as “paid agitators” and “paid insurrectionists,” without offering evidence. He referred to Pretti’s death as “a very unfortunate incident,” but also suggested the victim bore responsibility by saying, “You can’t walk in with guns.”

There have been limited acknowledgments of problems with the operation itself. Tom Homan, sent by the president to oversee the crackdown, said Thursday that the effort needed to be “fixed” and that not everything carried out by federal agents “has been perfect.” Industry observers have noted how some law enforcement tactics can spark social backlash, such as the ICE invasion trend on TikTok, reflecting the broader public reaction to federal raids.