Donald Trump has doubled down on his blame of an unarmed American mother for her own death at the hands of an ICE agent by saying that she “behaved horribly” before being shot three times by a federal agent.
Speaking in the Oval Office to reporters on Wednesday, roughly an hour after Renee Nicole Good, 37, was killed, the president echoed his earlier response by portraying the killing as self-defense and attacking Good’s character. Trump said the incident “was a vicious situation that took place,” according New York Times.
Trump, 79, previously insisted in a Wednesday Truth Social post that “the woman driving the car was very disorderly, obstructing and resisting,” and claimed she “violently, willfully, and viciously ran over the ICE Officer,” despite multiple videos showing there to be scant evidence for his claim.
Clips posted to social media on Wednesday morning showed an officer yelling at Good during an immigration operation in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and ordering her out of the “f—ing car” as he approached her SUV.
As she began to pull away, another agent near the front raised his gun and fired three rounds at the mom-of-three through the windshield while stepping back, sending the car careering down the road.
While Trump said that he did not want “nobody get shot,” the Times reported that he added: “I want to see nobody screaming and trying to run over policemen either.” The outlet said Trump then asked an aide to pull up surveillance footage on a laptop, saying: “I’ll play the tape for you right now.”
As he did so, Trump said of Good, “She behaved horribly…and then she ran him over.” When the assembled reporters pointed out that the video did not show Good hitting the agent, Trump conceded: “I think it’s horrible to watch. No, I hate to see it.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, 54, also defended the as-yet unnamed agent at a news conference on Wednesday, describing Good as “stalking” officers and saying the shooter “used his training to save his own life and that of his colleagues.”
Local officials pushed back on those claims, with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, 44, slamming the federal narrative as “garbage,” and demanding ICE “get the f–k out” of the city.
Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, 64, took a more cautious line on television, telling CBS News: “Let the investigation play out, and hold people accountable based on the investigation.”
Hours later, he made a complete U-turn on his position, saying the incident was “yet another tragic example of the results of the hateful rhetoric and violent attacks against the men and women of ICE and [Border Patrol],” and added: “Like all Americans, our officers have a right to self-defense. Full stop.”
Good’s killing has sparked protests and candlelight vigils, with crowds gathering near the south Minneapolis scene and at makeshift memorials, chanting “ICE are murderers” and demanding agents leave the city.
Demonstrations have also spread to other U.S. cities, as officials warned against escalation.
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
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