The adult children of Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman publicly appealed to President Donald Trump. They demanded he take down a social media post that spread a false conspiracy about their mother’s murder and apologize for it.
Trump posted a video on his Truth Social account that suggested, without any evidence, that Minnesota Governor Tim Walz was involved in the assassination of Hortman and her husband, Mark.
They were shot and killed in their home on June 14, 2025, by a man pretending to be a police officer. Both the governor and other state lawmakers have rejected this claim. Homeland security and law enforcement officials stated that the alleged political link in the video is baseless.
The video’s narrative has caused confusion online, and it has been circulating in fringe parts of social media since last year, connecting Hortman’s final legislative decisions and supposed fraud investigations to her murder. Authorities say this connection has no factual basis.
In separate statements released Sunday by a Minnesota House spokesperson, Colin and Sophie Hortman criticized the social media post President Trump shared. They directly requested that he delete it and apologize.
“My father and mother, Mark and Melissa Hortman, and their dog Gilbert, were killed by a man who believed conspiracy theories and fake news. Words matter. Sharing fake news is dangerous,” Colin wrote. He stated that the video misrepresents his mother’s vote on a bipartisan budget bill, distorting her record and adding insult to their deep loss.
Sophie doubled down on the request, describing the video as a painful misrepresentation of her mother’s final vote. She said the post fuels division at a time when the family is trying to grieve and recover after losing their parents and their beloved pet.
State leaders across Minnesota, including lawmakers from both parties, condemned the post as harmful and misleading.
Governor Walz called the sharing of the video dangerous and depraved behavior from the sitting president of the United States. He added that there is no evidence linking him or any official actions to the fatal shootings.
The suspect charged in the June 2025 killings, Vance Boelter, faces state and federal murder charges related to the deaths of Melissa and Mark Hortman and the shooting of another legislator and his wife on the same night. Authorities have repeatedly affirmed that the shootings stemmed from the assailant’s own motives and not from any political direction by elected officials.
Several Minnesota lawmakers from both major parties have called for an end to speculation on the motives behind the shootings, urging leaders and the public to reject conspiracy-driven narratives that twist the facts of the case.
Minnesota politics has been the latest target of MAGA as a major fraud investigation into state programs has troubled parts of the state’s political scene. Last week, Governor Walz announced he would not seek reelection during this ongoing crisis.
The Hortman family’s request to Trump probably won’t go anywhere as the president is known go low and stick to his guns. He was recently criticized from both sides of the political aisle for his statement following Rob Reiner’s murder.
