Former President Donald Trump has publicly defended an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent involved in a fatal shooting in Minneapolis, while endorsing a baseless theory that the victim was part of a network of paid left-wing agitators.
Trump Echoes Unfounded Claims
Speaking at the White House on Friday, Trump was asked by a Fox News correspondent to comment on Vice President JD Vance's assertions regarding the death of 37-year-old Renee Good. Good was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis on Wednesday during an operation. Trump stated that the vice-president is "generally very accurate" and proceeded to amplify the claim that Good was connected to a shadowy network seeking to "incite violence" against federal officers.
The president pointed to video evidence of the incident, focusing on a witness who could be heard repeatedly screaming the word "shame." Trump cited this as proof of professional involvement. "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."
Contradicted by Video Evidence
Trump's assertion that only a paid operative would shout at ICE agents is directly challenged by hundreds of publicly available video recordings from similar immigration enforcement actions across American cities over the past year. The claim that protesters are motivated by payment rather than genuine concern for their communities is a familiar refrain from the former president, who has used it frequently in recent months.
In the specific footage from Minneapolis, a witness is heard yelling "shame" at two key moments: twice as agents tried to remove Good from her vehicle before opening fire, and then eight more times as the person recording approached the agent who fired the shots. It remains unclear if the person screaming was the videographer or another bystander.
Trump Criticises Witness Reaction
Remarkably, Trump also complained that the witness's horrified reaction made the video difficult for him to watch. "The news sort of turned her down, turned her off because you’re trying to watch - she was so loud and so crazy and just not normal," he commented.
He further elaborated on his view of a typical response, saying, "When somebody sees something like that, they don’t go screaming and screaming, and the same words. So, I guess you could say, professional, but I didn’t think she did a very good job."
Concluding his remarks, Trump reaffirmed his administration's stance, 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." This incident highlights the ongoing deep political divisions in the United States surrounding immigration enforcement and the rhetoric used to describe those who protest against it.
