Reporter Straight-Up Asks Trump ‘Was Alex Pretti’s Death Justified?’ After Officials Called Him ‘Assassin,’ ‘Terrorist’

President Donald Trump was confronted by a reporter who straight-up asked him “Was Alex Pretti’s death justified?” after Trump officials called the man a “terrorist” and an “assassin.”

Chaos and widespread outrage erupted Saturday when Trump Border Patrol agents shot a man in Minneapolis as social media video of the incident circulated.

Protests erupted immediately, and Trump officials rushed to make outlandish claims about Pretti, the man who was shot — even falsely labeling him an “assassin” and a “domestic terrorist.”

But multiple videos of the shooting refuted those claims.

Trump’s initial reaction was to lash out and blame Pretti and Democratic leaders in a lengthy social media rant. But as the outrage grew, the president pumped the brakes a little, and by Monday, was striking a conciliatory tone with Democrats in Minnesota.

The president spoke to reporters on Tuesday afternoon as he departed the White House en route to Iowa, and was immediately confronted about the shooting by NewsNation White House correspondent Libbey Dean. Trump continued to back away from his initial reaction:

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Tom Homan, as you know, is in Minnesota now. He’s meeting with the governor, and he’s meeting with the mayor, I think, later.

And I hear that’s all going very well.

Also I’m going to Iowa. Some of you are coming with me, but I’m going to Iowa.

And what can I say? The economy is good. It’s all good. Prices are coming way down. And we have a lot of very positive news.

NEWSNATION WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT LIBBEY DEAN: Do you believe that Alex Pretti’s death was justified?

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Well you know we’re doing a big investigation. I want to see the investigation. I’m going to be watching over it. I want a very honorable and honest investigation. I have to see it myself.

NEWSNATION WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT LIBBEY DEAN: Is Kristi Noem going to step down?

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: No.

Moments later, Trump said, of Pretti, “I love everybody, I love all of our people. I love his family and it’s a very sad situation.”

Watch above via CNN.

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