MSNBC host and former press secretary to President Joe Biden Jen Psaki became visibly emotional on-air on Wednesday when discussing the tragic shooting in Minneapolis that claimed the lives of two children.
Two children, aged 8 and 10, were killed during a worship service at Minneapolis’ Annunciation Catholic School on Wednesday morning after a 23-year-old opened fire. Officials later confirmed 17 other people were injured, 14 of which were children. The shooter, identified as Robin Westman, died at the scene.
Psaki began her show, The Briefing, talking about the incident, growing increasingly emotional as she described how those in the community, particularly the families of the children killed, must be feeling, and how the narratives that have emerged since the shooting obfuscate the fact that these incidents only frequently occur in the U.S.
Speaking about those affected by the shooting, Psaki said, “I have been thinking—as I’m sure everybody who’s consumed this today has been doing as well—about my kids, who happen to be the same ages as the two who were killed, about sending them off to school this morning. I’ve been thinking about their friends, their teachers, about all of the parents, about all of the grandparents out there navigating the return to school.”
“All they should be hoping to do is have someone to sit with at lunch or someone to play with on the playground, they should be waiting to hear an update when they get home, and that is not what these parents at this school experienced today.”
Psaki, still visibly emotional, continued, “Sorry, this is a tough one. Having a child killed while they are sitting in a pew for morning prayer service is not what any parent should have to worry about. And I have felt a mixture of anger and emotional exhaustion about this today, because we have been here so many times and yet again, like clockwork, half the politicians in our country have little more to offer than thoughts and prayers.”
Psaki went on to condemn the way conservatives have sought to weaponize the shooting to demonize transgender people, telling viewers, “We have seen this play out over and over again. There is a shooting. Then come the thoughts and prayers and then comes the attempt to shift the focus. This is what always happens.”
Local police did not comment on Westman’s gender, however FBI Director Kash Patel identified the shooter as “Robin Westman, a male born as Robert Westman.” Records show that a petition was filed in 2020 to change Westman’s first name from Robert to Robin.
“You’re going to start seeing narratives. You’re already seeing them. They’re already out there about how the shooter was trans,” she said. “You’re going to see how narratives about how the shooter appeared to be anti-Trump and antisemitic and clearly was in the midst of a mental health crisis.”
“But here’s the thing. There are trans people all over the world. There are antisemitic people, unfortunately, all over the world, and people filled with plenty of political hate all over the world. And mental health issues are not unique to the United States. And yes, we should do more to address them. But it’s also an issue all over the world.”
“This is the only country where shootings like this one happen this often.”
In the hours following the shooting, Trump supporters and members of his administration were quick to seize the opportunity to demonize transgender people, with commentators like Matt Walsh and Republican congressional hopeful Valentina Gomez taking to X to argue the shooter’s identity played a role in their actions.
Trump’s own press secretary Karoline Leavitt shared a post on Instagram that blamed a “demonic force” and condemned the “transgender maniac” responsible.
President Donald Trump’s eldest son also weighed in, co-signing a Fox News segment that condemned Psaki for attempting to blame gun laws for the tragedy.
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) August 28, 2025
Earlier on Wednesday, Psaki tweeted, “When kids are getting shot in their pews at a catholic school mass and your crime plan is to have national guard put mulch down around DC maybe rethink your strategy.”
In response, Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) blamed mental illness, including “radical gender ideology”, for the shooting, calling it “insanity and hatred that has come from the left” in an interview on Fox News.
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