White House avoids Minneapolis tirade as signs suggest Trump backing down | Donald Trump
What White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt didn’t say Monday was more important than what she did.
When Leavitt came forward to the briefing room podium To address the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis, he eschewed the kind of victim-blaming tirades that have become a staple of Donald Trump’s administration.
Instead, the spokesman called Pretti’s death a “tragedy”, said the US president wanted to let the investigation take its course and, strikingly, refused to endorse adviser Stephen Miller’s “future assassin” slur against Pretti.
Leavitt also mentioned a “constructive and productive conversation” between Trump and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and the potential for border patrol agents to withdraw from the state. Walz’s office confirmed that the president has “agreed to review” reducing the number of federal agents there.
It’s too early to know for sure, but it looks like the third Taco incident in a week, which Trump always shies away from. First, there was Greenland, which the president insisted the United States should control until NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte could be persuaded to accept a vague “framework” compromise.
The diplomatic crisis that followed, when Trump claimed that NATO troops were “standing a little behind” the front lines in Afghanistan, caused a great reaction in England, where 457 people lost their lives in the war. Keir Starmer’s scolding and King Charles’ help pushed Trump to the point where he perhaps came closest to apologizing.
While Minneapolis now resembles an eerie dystopia under the control of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), signs point to at least an easing of tensions. Trump wrote on social media that he and Walz were “on a similar wavelength.” JD Vance, who hyperbolically blamed poet Renée Good for her death in Minneapolis earlier this month, said less this time.
And Leavitt, who could be counted on to articulate the Trump agenda with the religious fervor of a Puritan, appeared unusually uneasy and defensive. To save face, he repeatedly accused Joe Biden, Democratic leaders in Minnesota and left-wing agitators of creating the conditions that led to the tragedy. However, he stopped short of blaming Pretti specifically.
When a reporter asked why administration officials jumped to conclusions before an investigation even took place, referring to Miller’s tweet, Leavitt evaded: “Look, this has been a very fluid and fast-moving situation over the weekend. And President Trump, on whose behalf I spoke, said he wanted to let the investigation continue and let the facts guide this case.”
Pressed once again on Miller’s “maybe assassin” comment, Leavitt changed the subject: “Look, as I said before, I haven’t heard the president describe Mr. Pretti that way.”
The press secretary declined to follow up or respond to comment on whether Miller would apologize to Pretti’s family.
But Leavitt said: “No one in the White House, including the president of the United States, wants to see Americans injured, killed and lost their lives on American streets. We grieve for parents. Of course, as a mother myself, I cannot imagine losing one’s life, especially losing a child.”
If Trump is backing down (which is still very likely), that would be welcome but not entirely surprising. The president is, after all, a creature of television who is better attuned to the power of images and commentary on the small screen than many of his younger aides. And the television has been awful for the last 48 hours: endless videos of Pretti’s execution in the street. expose official accounts as lies.
Moreover, a screenwriter could not have found a more sympathetic victim than Pretti, including to Republican audiences: She was a critical care nurse who cared for military veterans. He also allegedly carried a gun because he had the legal right to do so in Minnesota. Republican advocates of the second amendment are disinclined to use it to justify an overzealous government response.
Trump will also be aware of discontent within his own party, not just the usual suspects. Congressman James Comer of Kentucky called on the president to withdraw ICE from Minnesota. Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy called joint investigation to the shooting. Michigan Congressman Bill Huizenga Called for congressional hearings.
Everyone is aware of opinion polls that say a majority of Americans believe ICE has gone too far. The Wall Street Journal reported He said Trump “received dozens of phone calls from administration officials and senators over the weekend, some of whom expressed concern that public sentiment was turning against the administration’s immigration enforcement actions.” Immigration, long a Republican strength, has become a liability.
After all, Trump is not the most extreme figure in the White House. His former adviser Steve Bannon described him as a “moderate” in the Make America Great Again movement. Miller, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and others often lack Trump’s political antenna or flexibility but are willing to go further than him.
Embers he told reporters at the White House last October: “But I want to thank Stephen Miller, who was there again in the audience. And I would love for him to come and reveal his true feelings, but – maybe not his.” most accurate feelings. “That might be going a little too far.”
