President Trump admitted he feels “terrible” about the shooting deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, but said he’s was more upset about Good because her parents are “tremendous Trump people.”
Trump made the comment Tuesday on Fox News’ “The Will Cain Show” while addressing the ongoing unrest in Minneapolis, where both Good and Pretti were fatally shot by federal agents this month.
“Bottom line, it was terrible,” he said when asked about Pretti’s death.
“Both of them were terrible; the other was terrible too,” Trump continued, referring to Good as well. “And I’m not sure about his parents, but I know her parents were big Trump fans, makes me feel bad anyway. But I guess you could say even worse, they were tremendous Trump people, Trump fans.”
The president went on to speculate that Good “was maybe radicalized, maybe not.”
“I don’t know, but I hate to see it,” he said.
Trump learned that Good’s father, Timothy Ganger, was a “big supporter” during an interview with CBS Evening News anchor Tony Dokoupil on Jan. 13. The sit-down came nearly a week after 37-year-old Good, a mother and poet, was fatally shot by ICE agent Jonathan Ross in a residential neighborhood south of downtown Minneapolis.
The incident has resulted in ongoing protests over the federal government’s deployment of ICE agents in the area, and demonstrations have only increased after Pretti was shot by federal agents on Saturday.
The 37-year-old VA hospital nurse was killed as officers conducted a “targeted operation” against an “illegal alien wanted for violent assault,” according to the Department of Homeland Security. The White House alleged Pretti, who was licensed to carry a weapon, was armed at the time and brandished his firearm, but video evidence so far has contradicted that claim.
Trump on Tuesday also confirmed he plans to “deescalate” immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis, but clarified that the move was not a “pullback.”
“I don’t think it’s a pullback,” Trump said on Fox News. “It’s a little bit of a change. We’re going to deescalate a little bit.”
