In recent comments, Donald Trump expressed regret over the deaths of Renée Good and Alex Pretti, who were shot and killed by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis.
In an interview with NBC News, Trump said he was “not happy” with the shootings, acknowledging that while neither Good nor Pretti were “angels,” their deaths were “terrible.”
“I’m not happy with the two incidents,” Trump said. “He was not an angel and she was not an angel. You know, you look at some tapes from back, but still, I’m not happy with what happened there. Nobody could be happy and ICE wasn’t happy either.”
Trump on Alex Pretti and Renee Good: “He was not an angel and she was not an angel. I’m not happy with what happened, but I am always going to be with our law enforcement.” pic.twitter.com/5NNItZTxbP
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) February 4, 2026
ICE agent Jonathan Ross fatally shot 37-year-old Renée Nicole Good, a U.S. citizen, on January 7 in Minneapolis. Good, who worked as a preschool teacher and lived in Minneapolis with her partner, was in her SUV when ICE officers approached her during a federal enforcement operation.
A second shooting occurred on January 24, adding to community distress. Alex Jeffrey Pretti, an intensive care nurse for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, was shot by another ICE agent during an altercation on the snowy streets of Minneapolis.
As intense protests over the back-to-back killings broke out, President Donald Trump ordered the withdrawal of roughly 700 federal officers — about a quarter of those deployed in Minnesota — after reaching an agreement with state and local officials to transfer custody of arrested immigrants, according to border czar Tom Homan.
While Homan was sent to Minnesota earlier this week to help manage unrest following the fatal shootings, he argued that giving immigration officials greater access to local jails would reduce the need for agents patrolling neighborhoods.
About 2,000 officers remain in the state, and Homan emphasized that this does not signal a reduction in the administration’s broader immigration enforcement goals.
“We are not surrendering the president’s mission on a mass deportation operation,” Homan said.
Alex Pretti’s last words: “Don’t touch her!”
“Are you okay?”
Renee Good’s last words:
“I’m really not mad at you dude…”
And this administration wants you to believe these fellow Americans were “domestic terrorists.”
This must end. Abolish ICE. pic.twitter.com/buSzWUV0OD
— Amber Woods @ Amber Speaks Up (@AmberWoods100) January 25, 2026
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey criticized the deployment from the start. They called for a faster drawdown of forces.
In addition, the issue in Minneapolis has now erupted into a broader backlash among Democratic lawmakers, many of whom are now demanding accountability at the highest levels of the department.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem initially blamed Renée Nicole Good for purposely injuring Ross with her vehicle and kept saying that the shooting was an act of self-defense during several media interviews, thereby asserting her loyalty towards the administration.
Trump, on the other hand, who is allegedly known to change opinions in a jiffy, reportedly said in a Fox News Interview a few weeks ago that he felt “worse” about the death of Renée Good than Alex Pretti because Good’s parents were his supporters.
In response to the vague remarks, California Governor Gavin Newsom said on X, “something is deeply wrong with this man.”
When asked about the Alex Pretti assassination, Trump explained he felt worse for Renee Good because her parents were Trump Supporters.
This is the third time he has done this.
He now measures the value of life depending on how much it can be associated with himself. pic.twitter.com/7zgGhozUDS
— Bricktop_NAFO (@Bricktop_NAFO) January 28, 2026
Meanwhile, Donald Trump rejected Tom Homan’s idea that ICE agents were being pulled out of the state. When asked directly whether the masked men causing trouble were leaving Minnesota, he replied, “No, no. Not at all.”
Consequently, Trump said the Minnesota operation taught his administration that it could take “a little bit softer” approach, but stressed that law enforcement still needs to remain tough, particularly against serious criminals.
He also indicated plans to deploy federal forces to other cities as the protests have now spread far beyond Minneapolis. “We have five cities that we’re looking at very strongly, but we want to be invited,” he said.
