President Donald Trump and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt are distancing themselves from the provocative statements made by top administration officials in the immediate aftermath of the\u00a0fatal shooting of Alex Pretti<\/a>\u00a0involving federal agents in Minneapolis.<\/p>\n Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and deputy White House chief of staff Stephen Miller quickly accused Pretti, an ICU nurse<\/a>, of domestic terrorism after Saturday’s shooting without citing any evidence.<\/p>\n “Does the president agree with them?” ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Mary Bruce asked Leavitt during Monday’s press briefing.<\/p>\n “Look, as\u00a0I’ve\u00a0said, I have not heard\u00a0the president characterize Mr. Pretti\u00a0in that way,” Leavitt said. “However, I have heard\u00a0the president say he wants to let the facts in the investigation lead\u00a0itself.”<\/p>\n White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, January 26, 2026.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Win McNamee\/Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Trump, in an interview with the\u00a0Wall Street Journal<\/a>\u00a0on Sunday, notably declined to say whether he thought the agents involved in the Pretti shooting acted appropriately and said his administration was “reviewing everything and will come out with a determination.”<\/p>\n The shooting is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI, Leavitt told reporters. Customs\u00a0and Border Protection is also conducting their own\u00a0internal review, she said.<\/p>\n President Trump on Monday announced he is dispatching his border czar, Tom Homan, to Minnesota\u00a0— \u00a0bypassing the normal chain of command — where Noem and Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino have been overseeing ICE operations.<\/p>\n “He has not been involved in that area, but knows and likes many of the people there. Tom is tough but fair, and will report directly to me,” Trump wrote in a social media post.<\/p>\n Noem, Bovino and FBI Director Kash Patel have defended the agents’ actions. Noem said Pretti had been “brandishing” a gun and possessed multiple magazines with the intent to inflict harm on officers — a “massacre” Bovino claimed. Patel went so far as to suggest carrying a gun to a protest is illegal.<\/p>\n Trump, like Noem, Bovino and Patel, criticized Pretti for carrying a weapon at a protest and had called Pretti a “gunman” in a social media post over the weekend.<\/p>\n “I don\u2019t like any shooting. I don\u2019t like it,” Trump told the WSJ on Sunday. “But I don\u2019t like it when somebody goes into a protest and he\u2019s got a very powerful, fully loaded gun with two magazines loaded up with bullets also. That doesn\u2019t play good either.”<\/p>\n State and local officials said Pretti was lawfully carrying a gun, with a concealed carry permit, and video reviewed and verified by ABC News\u00a0does not appear to show that Pretti drew his gun on the agents and instead was holding up a cell phone, not a gun, to record agents during the incident.<\/p>\n The shooting and the administration’s response has prompted criticism from Democrats and Republicans, as well as the editorial boards of the traditionally conservative New York Post and Wall Street Journal.<\/p>\n Several Democrats have called for Noem to resign or be impeached. Leavitt insisted on Monday Trump still has the “utmost confidence and trust” in Noem, who she said is “continuing to oversee the entire Department of Homeland Security and all of the immigration enforcement that’s taking place across the whole entire country.”<\/p>\n Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem in Washington, Jan. 24, 2026, Border Czar Tom Homan in Washington, Jan. 14, 2026 and Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino in Minneapolis, Jan. 13, 2026.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Getty Images\/EPA\/Shutterstock\/Reuters<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n President Trump also spoke on Monday with Minnesota’s Democratic Gov. Tim Walz. Trump said it “was a very good call, and we, actually, seemed to be on a similar wavelength.” The president said that Walz was “happy” that Homan was going to Minnesota.<\/p>\n Walz confirmed he and Trump had a “productive” phone call, though areas of disagreement remained apparent.<\/p>\n![\"America\"](\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/c01c31c7-b0a5-464d-a2f5-37e2e9d20989\/karoline-leavitt-4-gty-gmh-260126_1769452914990_hpMain.jpg?w=375 "\\"America\\"")
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![\"Governor\"](\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/3ea739d2-491b-48bb-89b8-31eaf7a628d8\/trump-walz-1-rt-gmh-260126_1769448866094_hpMain.jpg?w=375 "\\"Governor\\"")
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