Trump, unbowed by backlash to Minneapolis shooting, blames Democrats for ‘chaos’
WASHINGTON (AP) — Protester shot dead in Minneapolis A federal immigration officer’s speech touched off a fierce national debate and mobilized some Republican friends They rallied to question President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigrants, but the president continued to blame Democratic officials Sunday night.
The Republican president, who remained relatively quiet on Sunday, said in two lengthy social media posts that Democrats were encouraging people to obstruct law enforcement operations. He also called on officials in Minnesota to work with immigration officials and “turn over” people who are in the U.S. illegally.
“Tragically, two American citizens lost their lives as a result of the chaos created by the Democrats,” Trump wrote on the Truth Social media network.
It comes as Trump refuses to back down on his promise to carry out the largest deportation program in history and immigration officers swarm into heavily Democratic cities as more Republicans call for a deeper investigation and grow uneasy with some of the administration’s tactics.
Trump too He told the Wall Street Journal He said in an interview Sunday that his administration was “reviewing everything” but declined to say whether the officer who shot Alex Pretti, 37, acted appropriately.
“We’re looking, we’re reviewing everything, and we’re going to come out determined,” Trump said.
The White House did not answer questions about whether Trump had watched videos of the Minnesota shooting. This seemed to contradict the description He asked what those in his administration were going through or whether he planned to speak with Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz, who has called on the president to help bring calm to the city.
Instead, Trump said Sunday night he would call on Congress to pass legislation banning so-called sanctuary cities. His administration has sought to apply that label to communities based on cooperation with federal immigration enforcement efforts, among other factors.
His push for action by lawmakers comes even as anger over the shooting raises the possibility of a partial government shutdown within a week because of a dispute over additional funding for immigration enforcement.
Trump’s initial reaction to Pretti’s shooting came hours after the incident on Saturday. In a post on the Truth Social network, he questioned why Pretti had a firearm and accused Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey of inciting “insurrection with their ostentatious, dangerous and arrogant rhetoric.”
But Trump, who rarely let a key moment pass without comment over the weekend, did not make any public statements or express any concerns about Pretti’s death.
Instead, he posted online his complaints about Canada and his efforts to prevent it from building a large ballroom at the White House, calling for a lawsuit to block its construction that would be “devastating to the White House, our Country, and everyone involved.”
He also posted messages praising British soldiers and praising guests on Fox News Channel after comments he made about them earlier in the week were widely interpreted as a harsh insult.
When he finally weighed in again Sunday night amid mounting criticism, Trump did not yield.
He called on Walz and Frey, himself a Democrat, to turn over for deportation anyone who is illegally held in state or local jails in the country, as well as anyone who has an arrest warrant or a criminal history.
Trump criticized Pretti for carrying a gun in a statement to The Wall Street Journal.
“I don’t like any shooting. I don’t like this,” Trump said. “But I don’t like it when someone shows up at a protest and has a high-powered, fully loaded gun with two magazines full of bullets. That’s not a good thing either.”
He said immigration officials would leave Minneapolis “at some point” but did not offer a time frame.
Meanwhile, members of the administration were quick to say it was a case of a gunman inciting violence, the second killing of a U.S. citizen by immigration officers in Minneapolis in recent weeks.
White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller said in a post on social media that Pretti was “an assassin trying to kill federal agents,” without providing any evidence.
Vice President JD Vance shared Miller’s post. He issued other statements blaming local officials and describing what was happening in Minneapolis as “engineered chaos” that was “the direct result of far-left agitators working with local officials.”
