Trump doesn’t want Americans hurt but blames Democrats: White House

President Donald Trump speaks as White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt listens in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

The White House said Monday that U.S. President Donald Trump did not want to see anyone hurt on U.S. streets but quickly again blamed Democrats after anti-immigrant agents killed two people in Minneapolis.

“Nobody in the White House, including President Trump, wants to see people getting hurt or killed in America’s streets,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.

She described the shooting death Saturday by federal agents of Alex Pretti - whom a Trump aide had quickly and without evidence branded a “domestic terrorist” - a “tragedy.”

“We mourn for the parents. As a mother myself, of course, I cannot imagine the loss of life,” she said.

But the conciliatory note was short-lived. Leavitt quickly blamed the rival Democratic Party for unrest that has broken out since Trump ordered a surge in Minneapolis by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), masked and armed agents deployed in force against local wishes.

“This tragedy occurred as a result of a deliberate and hostile resistance by Democrat leaders in Minnesota,” Leavitt said, blaming Governor Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey, both Democrats.

She accused elected Democrats of “spreading lies about federal law enforcement officers who are risking their lives daily to remove the worst criminal illegal aliens from our streets.”