Former President Donald Trump has publicly defended an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent involved in a fatal shooting in Minneapolis, while amplifying a baseless conspiracy theory about the witnesses. The incident, which occurred on Wednesday, resulted in the death of 37-year-old Renee Good.
Trump Endorses Vance's Unfounded Claim
Speaking at the White House on Friday, Trump was asked by a Fox News correspondent to comment on Vice-President JD Vance's previous statements about the case. Trump asserted that Vance is "generally very accurate" and proceeded to endorse the claim that Good was connected to a shadowy "leftwing network" aiming to incite violence against federal officers.
Trump then shifted focus to a person heard on a witness video of the shooting, repeatedly screaming the word "shame" at the agents. The former president insisted this behaviour was evidence of a "professional troublemaker" and "probably a paid agitator".
'A Very High-Level Agitator'
"I watched that," Trump said. "There was a woman screaming: 'Shame! Shame! Shame! Shame!' She was an agitator, probably a paid agitator, but in my opinion she was an agitator, a very high-level agitator, so professional. She wouldn't stop screaming."
He further complained that the person's reaction made the footage difficult to watch on television, stating the news channels "turned her down, turned her off" because the screaming was "so loud and so crazy and just not normal". Trump argued that a genuine witness to a point-blank shooting would not react in such a manner.
Contradicted by Historical Evidence
The president's core assertion—that only a paid operative would scream at ICE agents during enforcement raids—is directly challenged by the public record. Hundreds of recorded incidents from the past year show civilians frequently shouting at and protesting against immigration officers during operations in American cities.
In the specific video from Minneapolis, a witness is heard yelling "shame" twice as agents tried to remove Good from her vehicle before opening fire. Moments later, as the person filming approached the agent who fired the fatal shots, the admonition was shouted eight more times.
Trump concluded his remarks by vowing ongoing protection for ICE and border patrol, stating, "You have agitators, and we will always be protecting ICE, and we’re always going to be protecting our border patrol and our law enforcement." The comments mark a continuation of his long-standing rhetoric framing opposition to his immigration policies as the work of paid provocateurs rather than genuine public outrage.
