Fact check: Did Trump say he is proud of his 'ICE boys' in Truth Social post?

The rumor surfaced online days after the tragic shooting of Alex Pretti, who was shot by a Federal agent in Minneapolis

BY CONRAD DIAS

PUBLISHED JAN 29, 2026

President Donald Trump takes the stage to speak during a rally at the Horizon Events Center on January 27, 2026, in Clive, Iowa (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC: In late January 2026, a rumor spread online claiming that President Donald Trump posted on social media that he is proud of his 'ICE boys'.

The rumor surfaced online days after the death of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, who was fatally shot by a Federal agent in Minneapolis. But is there any truth to this? Let us find out below.

Claim: Trump said he is proud of his 'ICE boys'

Users on social media platforms such as Threads and Facebook shared the claim amid unrest in Minneapolis after Alex Pretti died at the hands of Border Patrol agents on January 24, 2026.

The purported screenshot of the alleged Truth Social post read, "I am clearing the Ghettos of Minnesota of liberal foreign s**m and radical lunatic leftists. I am so 'Proud' of my ICE 'Boys'.. after all, they stood back and stood ready, and now we are unleashing retribution and saving the soil from invaders."

"And given our successful ongoing round-ups, I'm thinking midterms might not be necessary. Thank you and stay proud, boys," the alleged post added.

Meanwhile, two Border Patrol agents involved in the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti were placed on administrative leave on Wednesday, January 28.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reportedly said the move was routine following an officer-involved shooting and did not indicate wrongdoing. The agents have been temporarily removed from field duty while investigations continue.

Fact check: Trump did not make any such social media post

The claims made in the online posts are false, as Donald Trump did not make any such post on Truth Social where he praised his 'ICE boys'.

A search of Trump's Truth Social account and an online archive of all of Trump's social media posts revealed no such post. Trump did post about the events taking place in Minnesota, and said he had 'a very good call' with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

However, he made no comments that matched those in the post that went viral online.

Furthermore, the viral screenshot does not match Trump's actual Truth Social page. The post's design differs from Trump's stylized portrait featuring an American flag; the social media platform's 'ReTruths' label for reshared posts is missing, and the date and time of the post are not shown.

Donald Trump takes the stage to speak during a rally at the Horizon Events Center on January 27, 2026 in Clive, Iowa. President Trump returns to Iowa for a second time in his second term ahead of the mid-term elections. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) — Donald Trump takes the stage to speak during a rally at the Horizon Events Center on January 27, 2026, in Clive, Iowa (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

The engagement metrics featured on the post showed 720 comments, 1.42K reposts, and 4.92K likes. It also looked fake, suggesting it may have been generated using a template or by a fake post generator.