Trump defended Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, saying she is doing a “very good job,” amid controversy over a fatal shooting in Minneapolis. He also commented on the victim, stating that people cannot simply “walk in with guns.”
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday confirmed that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem will not step down following a second fatal shooting involving federal agents in Minnesota.
When asked by reporters outside the White House if Noem would resign, Trump gave a one-word answer, “No.” He added that he still believes she is doing a “very good job.”
Trump also addressed remarks made by his deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller, who called Alex Pretti, the 37-year-old nurse killed by federal immigration agents on Saturday, an “assassin.”
“No,” Trump said when asked if he agreed with Miller’s description. “That being said, you can’t have guns, you can’t walk in with guns, you can’t do that. It’s a very unfortunate incident.”
Video footage from the incident showed that Pretti, a licensed gun owner, was not holding his firearm at the moment he was shot, and the weapon had already been removed by an agent.
Ongoing investigation and response
Trump said he is overseeing the investigation personally and expects it to be “very honorable and honest.” He called the situation “very sad” and expressed sympathy for Pretti’s family.
The president’s comments mark a pivot from the administration’s initial aggressive response to the shooting, signaling a more measured approach while continuing to support Noem, who had backed large-scale immigration raids in Minneapolis and previously described Pretti as a “domestic terrorist.”
Shifts in federal strategy
The New York Times reported that Trump held a nearly two-hour meeting with Noem on Monday evening. In addition, he has sent border czar Tom Homan to Minneapolis, indicating a possible preference for Homan’s more targeted approach to immigration enforcement over Noem’s mass raids.
Gun rights debate intensifies
Trump’s remarks also fuel an ongoing debate over gun rights in the US. While federal authorities justified the shooting by citing Pretti’s firearm and alleged violent actions, gun rights advocates have raised concerns, noting that Pretti was unarmed at the time of the shooting.
The incident has brought renewed attention to the Second Amendment, which guarantees Americans the right “to keep and bear arms,” and its complex legal and political implications.
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