Trump Blames Democrats After Second ICE Shooting in Minneapolis: ‘THIS IS A COVER UP’

AP Photo/Mary Altaffer

President Donald Trump has commented on the second deadly shooting by an ICE Agent of a protester in Minneapolis, escalating the political battleby tying the episode to broader grievances about immigration, alleged fraud in Minnesota, and political opponents.

Trump’s comments follow the Jan. 24 death of a 37-year-old man shot by federal immigration agents during a large-scale enforcement operation that has turned Minneapolis into a flashpoint.

In his Truth Social post, Trump highlighted a photo of a handgun he said belonged to the “gunman,” noting it was “loaded (with two additional full magazines!)” and questioning why local police were not present to protect ICE officers.

He also suggested the mayor and governor “called them off,” claimed law enforcement had to “protect themselves,” and linked the unrest to what he called massive monetary fraud and missing funds in Minnesota, including an unverified allegation about Rep. Ilhan Omar’s finances. The post also accused Minnesota leadership of inciting “insurrection” with “dangerous, and arrogant rhetoric,” and defended the broader federal immigration operation, asserting thousands of “illegal alien criminals” had been arrested.

Trump wrote on Truth Social:

This is the gunman’s gun, loaded (with two additional full magazines!), and ready to go – What is that all about? Where are the local Police? Why weren’t they allowed to protect ICE Officers? The Mayor and the Governor called them off? It is stated that many of these Police were not allowed to do their job, that ICE had to protect themselves — Not an easy thing to do! Why does Ilhan Omar have $34 Million Dollars in her account? And where are the Tens of Billions of Dollars that have been stolen from the once Great State of Minnesota? We are there because of massive Monetary Fraud, with Billions of Dollars missing, and Illegal Criminals that were allowed to infiltrate the State through the Democrats’ Open Border Policy. We want the money back, and we want it back, NOW. Those Fraudsters who stole the money are going to jail, where they belong! This is no different than a really big Bank Robbery. Much of what you’re witnessing is a COVER UP for this Theft and Fraud. The Mayor and the Governor are inciting Insurrection, with their pompous, dangerous, and arrogant rhetoric! Instead, these sanctimonious political fools should be looking for the Billions of Dollars that has been stolen from the people of Minnesota, and the United States of America. LET OUR ICE PATRIOTS DO THEIR JOB! 12,000 Illegal Alien Criminals, many of them violent, have been arrested and taken out of Minnesota. If they were still there, you would see something far worse than you are witnessing today!

Video footage of the shooting has emerged that undermines the administrations assertions that the victim, identified as University of Minnesota scientist Alex Pretti as a “domestic terrorist” who was trying to assassinate federal officials, as Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller has asserted on social media.

Minutes later, Trump went all caps in a follow-up post, writing: “AMONG OTHER THINGS, THIS IS A ‘COVER UP’ FOR THE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS THAT HAVE BEEN STOLEN FROM THE ONCE GREAT STATE (BUT SOON TO BE GREAT AGAIN!) OF MINNESOTA! PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP

Trump’s assertions about fraud and missing billions echo wider claims by some federal officials and allies about alleged financial misconduct in the state, though specifics remain unverified in public records. The president also used the post to intensify criticism of Democrats and Minnesota politicians, demanding the return of allegedly stolen funds and repeatedly urging that ICE agents be allowed to “do their job.”

The president’s post comes as Minneapolis confronts conflicting narratives about the shooting itself. Department of Homeland Security officials said agents fired defensive shots after a man with a handgun resisted disarmament, but bystander video circulating online appears to show the victim holding a phone or camera as federal agents approached, raising questions about the timeline and justification for the use of lethal force.

The incident has intensified existing protests and political rifts, with local leaders calling for accountability and federal withdrawal, while Trump and allies frame the conflict as part of a broader struggle over immigration enforcement and law and order.

This is a developing story.

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