Trump accused of 'gaslighting' as he says Ashli Babbitt was shot while ‘innocently’ standing in Capitol

WASHINGTON, DC: Donald Trump is once again courting controversy—this time over the $30 million lawsuit filed by the family of Ashli Babbitt, the woman shot and killed inside the Capitol on January 6, 2021.

During a March 25 sit-down with Newsmax's Greg Kelly in the Roosevelt Room at the White House, the 47th POTUS made it clear that he’s paying attention to the lawsuit—and even hinted at taking action. 

Donald Trump calls Ashley Babbitt 'innocent', slams officer who shot her

In the interview, Greg Kelly insisted that the Department of Justice (DOJ) wasn’t interested in settling the lawsuit. "Well, I'll look into that. I mean, you're just telling me that for the first time, I haven't heard that," Trump responded.

He then praised Babbitt, calling her a "really good person" and a "big MAGA fan, Trump fan," before launching into a heated defense of her actions on that day. 

"I'm a big fan of Ashli Babbitt. And Ashli Babbitt was a really good person who was a big MAGA fan, Trump fan," he continued.

"And she was innocently standing there; they even say trying to sort of hold back the crowd. And a man did something to her that was unthinkable when he shot her. And I think it's a disgrace. I'm going to look into that. I did not know that," the president added.

Trump also went after the Capitol Hill police officer, Lt Michael Byrd, who fired the shot that killed Babbitt. Byrd was cleared of wrongdoing and even received a promotion in 2023, a fact that clearly didn’t sit well with Trump.

"I'm going to take a look at it. I'm going to look at that, too. His reputation was ... I won't even say; let's find out about his reputation. We're going to find out," Trump said, before adding, "But I watched that, and I saw that. And by the way, she was killed, but nobody else was killed."

Internet goes nuclear over Donald Trump’s remarks praising Ashley Babbitt

Critics of President Donald Trump, however, were outraged at his comments about Ashley Babbitt, with many people online accusing him of blatant revisionism and "gaslighting" the public.

"Trump calling Ashli Babbitt an 'innocent bystander' is pure gaslighting. She was breaking into a barricaded area during an active insurrection. Actions have consequences," one user posted on X.

"Ashli Babbitt was told by the officer to stop, she chose not to, broke the law and suffered the consequences of her actions," another alleged.

"This is outrageous. Does Donald Trump want taxpayers to pay for the actions of the insurrectionists?" someone else asked.

"Holy crap. This is the craziest attempt at gaslighting that I’ve ever read. We all saw her attempting to breach the area the VP was in," another commented.

"In MAGA, loyalty excuses any crime," one person declared.

Who was Ashli Babbitt?

For those who don’t know much about Ashley Babbitt, she served in the Air Force for 12 years, working as a Security Forces Controller in the Air Force, Reserves, and Air National Guard.

She was also an outspoken Trump supporter, frequently posting pro-Trump content and election fraud claims on social media.

Her final post before the riot was a cryptic message on X. “Jan 6, 2021,” she wrote, followed by an American flag emoji and a thumbs-up emoji.

Her grandfather, Tony Mazziott, told ABC News that she was deeply passionate about Trump. “She was passionate about everything, particularly Donald Trump for some reason," he said, describing her as “very loving” and someone who would "give you the shirt off her back."

Babbitt is survived by her parents and four brothers. 

Ashley Babbitt's family files lawsuit

Ashley Babbitt's family filed a $30 million wrongful death lawsuit against the US government, challenging the fatal shooting of Babbitt by Lt Byrd during the January 6 riot, the National Review reported.

The lawsuit alleges that Babbitt was unarmed and posed no threat, and that Lt Byrd acted without issuing warnings or identifying himself as a police officer.

The family claims the use of lethal force was unjustified. The lawsuit, which includes claims of wrongful death, assault and battery, and negligence, is set for trial in July 2026