Trump backs ICE agent after fatal shooting, then reconsiders after watching footage: Report
WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump defended an ICE agent involved in the fatal shooting of a Minnesota woman on Wednesday, January 7, only to hedge moments later after watching video of the incident alongside New York Times reporters in the Oval Office, according to a report by Mediaite.
The woman, identified as 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, was shot through the windshield of her car on Wednesday morning during a confrontation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Minneapolis.
Video from the scene showed agents surrounding Good’s vehicle as it blocked a roadway, pulling at the doors and seemingly shouting commands.
Moments later, an officer fired multiple shots as the car appeared to move slightly forward.
The killing quickly drew national attention amid mounting scrutiny of ICE tactics and the administration’s hardline immigration enforcement policies.
Kristi Noem quickly backs ICE with self-defense claim
Within hours of the shooting, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem held a press conference claiming that Renee Nicole Good had “attacked” ICE agents, saying an officer opened fire to “protect himself.”
Noem also alleged that agents were trapped by snow and unable to retreat, a version of events later disputed by local officials and contradicted by video footage circulating online.
Trump soon echoed Noem’s framing, posting on Truth Social to defend the officer’s actions as self-defense and seemingly portraying Good as the aggressor.
That stance carried into Trump’s meeting with New York Times journalists later the same day. Sitting in the Oval Office, the president repeated his claim that Good had attempted to “run over” the agent who fired the fatal shots.
“I want to see nobody get shot,” Trump said, according to the report. “I want to see nobody screaming and trying to run over policemen either. That was a vicious situation that took place.”
Trump went further, asserting definitively that Good had struck the officer with her vehicle. “She behaved horribly. And then she ran him over,” he said. “She didn’t try to run him over. She ran him over.”
Trump orders video played as reporters push back
Times reporters pushed back, telling the president that the video recorded at the scene did not clearly show an officer being hit by the car. In response, Trump ordered an aide, Natalie Harp, to pull up the footage.
“I’ll play the tape for you right now,” Trump said.
According to the account, slow-motion video was played on a laptop placed near the Resolute Desk. As the footage rolled, reporters again pointed out that the images did not appear to show an officer being run over or pinned by the vehicle.
Watching the video, Trump appeared less certain. When the video ended, Trump shifted his tone, calling the incident disturbing rather than reiterating his earlier claims. “It’s a terrible scene,” he said. “I think it’s horrible to watch. No, I hate to see it.”
Pressed again on whether the video supported his earlier assertions, Trump did not restate that the officer had been run over.
Instead, he pivoted to a broader critique of US immigration policy under previous administrations, according to the report.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and other Minnesota leaders publicly rejected Noem’s characterization of the shooting, saying that the video evidence does not align with claims that agents were under imminent threat.
Calls for an independent investigation into the officer’s actions have intensified as additional footage and eyewitness accounts continue to surface.
