Alex Pretti shooting row: Did Trump say ‘only criminals carry guns’ amid Minneapolis protests? Here's the truth

Donald Trump, his administration, the ICE, and the Border Patrol are under fire after Alex Pretti was fatally shot in Minneapolis on Saturday

Published on: Jan 26, 2026, 24:41:31 IST

By Yash Nitish Bajaj

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President Donald Trump, his administration, the ICE, and the Border Patrol are under fire after Alex Pretti was fatally shot in Minneapolis on Saturday. The 37-year-old nurse's death came days after a federal agent shot and killed Renee Nicole Good, a mother of three, in a residential neighborhood amid protests. Now, a photo showing Trump's post saying ‘only criminals carry guns’ has surfaced on social media.

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters over the North Atlantic as he returns to Washington (REUTERS)

‘Only criminals carry guns’

A screenshot of what appears to be Donald Trump's post on Truth Social has gone viral. “HE HAD A GUN, ONLY CRIMINALS CARRY GUNS ON OUR STREETS, WE NEED LAW AND ORDER,” it reads. This comes after the DHS said that Pretti was armed when he approached Border Patrol officers on Saturday. Minneapolis police and the nurse's family later clarified that he was a lawful gun owner and had the license to carry.

While Trump faced flak after the photo surfaced, we later found that he did not actually write those words. This was a fake image.

“Hey MAGA. Your president Donald Trump believes if you have a gun you're a criminal. Wonder what the @nra thinks about this 🤔” one person wrote on X, platform formerly known as Twitter.

Trump's response to Alex Pretti's shooting

The president, in his Truth Social post after the shooting, claimed that Pretti had a loaded gun. He defended the ICE and Border Patrol.

"This is the gunman’s gun, loaded (with two additional full magazines!), and ready to go – What is that all about? Where are the local Police? Why weren’t they allowed to protect ICE Officers? The Mayor and the Governor called them off? It is stated that many of these Police were not allowed to do their job, that ICE had to protect themselves — Not an easy thing to do!” Trump wrote.

“LET OUR ICE PATRIOTS DO THEIR JOB! 12,000 Illegal Alien Criminals, many of them violent, have been arrested and taken out of Minnesota. If they were still there, you would see something far worse than you are witnessing today!”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yash Nitish Bajaj
Yash Bajaj is a Chief Content Producer with a strong foundation in US coverage, digital strategy, and audience-focused storytelling. As part of the US Desk at Hindustan Times, he covers a wide range of topics - from American politics to sports (NFL, NBA, derbies, MLB and more). Before joining Hindustan Times, Yash served as Deputy News Editor at Times Now, where he oversaw international coverage and led a team of six. In this role, he significantly expanded global traffic through strategic planning, SEO-driven content execution, and meticulous trend tracking across platforms. He is experienced in managing high-pressure breaking-news shifts, coordinating live coverage, and building newsroom systems that improve speed, accuracy, and reach. Prior to Times Now, Yash held a position at Opoyi, where he headed the Sports and US news team. He developed broad editorial strategies, guided reporters across multiple beats, and played a key role in recruiting and training new talent. His responsibilities also extended to social media management and experimenting with innovative content formats. A passionate NFL fan, Yash is a die-hard supporter of the Cincinnati Bengals and has followed Joe Burrow closely since his college days at LSU. Whether breaking down top players' latest performance, analyzing team performances, or tracking roster moves, he brings the same dedication and sharp storytelling to his sports coverage as he does to American politics and breaking news. When he’s not writing, Yash can often be found watching games or debating the latest NFL storylines with fellow fans. Yash holds a Bachelor of Mass Media (Journalism) from HR College, Mumbai University. His interests extend well beyond the newsroom: he is an enthusiastic explorer of AI tools, a movie buff with an ever-growing watchlist, and someone who enjoys unraveling conspiracy theories for fun.Read More

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