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Trump Slams Alex Pretti As ‘Agitator’ and 'Insurrectionist' After Watching Resurfaced Video

Dmitri Bolt
Dmitri Bolt  |  January 30, 2026 11:30 AM

President Trump on Friday responded to a video of Alex Pretti that resurfaced days after his death, describing him as an “agitator” and an “insurrectionist.” 

The video, recorded roughly a week before Pretti was fatally shot by federal immigration enforcement agents, shows him aggressively confronting officers, shouting, spitting at them, daring them to assault him, and kicking their vehicle.

"Agitator and, perhaps, insurrectionist, Alex Pretti’s stock has gone way down with the just released video of him screaming and spitting in the face of a very calm and under control ICE Officer, and then crazily kicking in a new and very expensive government vehicle, so hard and violent, in fact, that the taillight broke off in pieces," President Trump wrote on Truth Social. "It was quite a display of abuse and anger, for all to see, crazed and out of control. The ICE Officer was calm and cool, not an easy thing to be under those circumstances! MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN."

This comes nearly a week after Pretti was fatally shot by immigration enforcement agents in Minneapolis. 

In the video of the shooting, Pretti is initially seen attempting to assist a woman who had been shoved and pepper-sprayed by agents after interfering with an enforcement operation. After inserting himself into the confrontation, Pretti was treated similarly. About half a dozen officers then attempted to arrest him, and he resisted. During the struggle, officers discovered a concealed firearm, a Sig Sauer P320, on Pretti’s waist. One officer is seen disarming him and retreating with the weapon in hand. Shortly thereafter, federal agents shot and killed Pretti. 

It remains unclear whether agents fired the first shot or whether the handgun, known for reports of uncommanded discharges, did. Officials were quick to label Pretti a “domestic terrorist,” alleging he arrived at the protest intending to murder ICE agents. 

President Trump and border czar Tom Homan, however, have not fully endorsed those claims, insisting a full investigation needs to be done on the disputed shooting before any official conclusions can be made.