Donald Trump seems to know it best when to turn a narrative completely in his favor. He did the same after seeking to speak to Renee Nicole Good’s father directly, after calling her a terrorist just a few days back. The 37-year-old lost her life to ICE violence in Minnesota, after being gunned down point-blank by the tainted officer Jonathan Ross. Interestingly enough, Nicole’s father happens to be a Trump supporter, which is why it seems he sought to speak with him directly.
On Tuesday, the 79-year-old struck a softer tone for the victim and her family while in an interview with CBS host Tony Dokoupil. He started off with the rhetoric of loving each and every one of the U.S. citizens, even though they happen to stand on his opposite side. Addressing Nicole specifically, Trump claimed that she might have been a solid person under normal circumstances. Nonetheless, he argued it could not be denied that her actions were quite tough.
In his words, “I want to say to the father that I love all our people. They can be on the other side. I would bet you that under normal circumstances, she was a very solid, wonderful person, but her actions were pretty tough.”
Whether a change of heart or a quick response to backlash, Trump’s words for the ICE shootout victim have shifted dramatically.
PILLAR 1: THE MOMENT
A reporter asked Trump about his message to the father of Renee Nicole Good, 37, a U.S. citizen shot and killed by ICE in Minneapolis on Jan 7, 2026.
This wasn’t just politics — it was a human tragedy front and center. (NewsBreak)
— JonathanFrye (@Jonathafrye) January 14, 2026
Trump further went on to offer a defense of ICE’s tactics in place, which he deemed as a method to scourge out killers, murderers, and other ruffians out of the country. He then continued with a momentary rant against Joe Biden, blaming him for the ensuing chaos. While he clearly drifted off topic, Trump also made a mention of the controversial video footage of the incident.
He said, “When you look at that tape, it could be viewed two ways, I guess…. But when you look at the way that was…, that car was… pulled away, ahhh… There are a couple of versions of that tape that are very, very bad.”
One cannot forget the moment when both the U.S. President and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem dubbed Renee Nicole Good a terrorist, within hours of her killing by the ICE agent. They even made controversial claims about the mother of three for attempting to run over the federal agents with her car, the minute they intercepted her on the fateful day. In fact, numerous video footages of the incident reveal a totally different story, where any attempts by Nicole to ram the ICE agents were nowhere to be seen.
Besides ordinary citizens of Minnesota, the state’s mayor, Jacob Frey, also slammed the portrayal of Renee as an offender and not a victim made by the Trump administration. He termed it as ‘garbage’ and heavily critiqued the deployment of over 2000 ICE officers in Minneapolis and St Paul.
An excerpt from his statement mentioned, “What they are doing is not to provide safety in America. What they are doing is causing chaos and distrust. They’re tearing families apart. They’re sowing chaos on our streets, and in this case, quite literally killing people. They are already trying to spin this as an action of self-defense. Having seen the video myself, I wanna tell everybody directly, that is bu—–.”
After their initial reactions, both Trump and Noem appear to be shifting their narrative. Shockingly, they even defended Officer Jonathan Ross, who carried out the shooting.
🚨OH – MY – GOD: This exchange between CBS’s Tony Dokoupil and Trump about the death of Renee Nicole Good is absolutely INSANE.
What a heartless, cruel POS.
DOKOUPIL: I’ve been speaking to her father, who is a big supporter of yours…
TRUMP: Good.
DOKOUPIL: He’s heartbroken… pic.twitter.com/DFK139ZFBS
— CALL TO ACTIVISM (@CalltoActivism) January 14, 2026
Much like them rolling back their opinions, U.S. Vice President JD Vance also stepped up and defended public opinion against Trump. He attempted to justify the ICE agent’s action, having a myriad of potentially good reasons behind Good’s killing.
Irrespectively, Donald Trump’s approval ratings have dropped to an all-time low, with issues of nationwide affordability crisis, foreign military action without congressional approval, the controversial Epstein files, and more being the prime reasons behind it all.
