US President Donald Trump has begun to contradict other administration officials regarding the murder of 37-year-old Alex Pretty in Minneapolis. When asked by a journalist whether he thought he was a "murderer", Trump replied that he didn't think so and that his death was "just a very bad accident" that should be investigated. "We're going to de-escalate a little", Trump told "Fox News", without specifying what he meant.
US President's deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller wrote on social media that Alex Pretty was a "murderer" who tried to kill federal agents. Vice President J.D. Vance shared Miller's opinion. Homeland Security Secretary Christie Noem also made similar comments.
Unfulfilled guidelines and no word on Pretty's weapon
Now Stephen Miller is also starting to take steps back, after being so confident in his words in recent days. The "Agence France-Presse” news agency reports that Trump's advisor has already spoken about potential mistakes made by federal agents in Minnesota. The White House has sent guidelines to the security forces involved in the operation in the state. They include a recommendation to build a "physical barrier” between the agents and the people they call "troublemakers”. Washington is now investigating why these guidelines were not followed, ARD writes.
At the same time, American media published information about the first report of the investigation into the murder of Alex Pretty on January 24. It says that two agents shot the man and makes no mention of his weapon, which administration officials claimed he used to threaten the agents.
The designated commander of the Border Patrol and ICE agents, Gregory Bovino, has already been pulled from Minneapolis, and the American publication "The Atlantic” reports that he is expected to be retired soon. Democrats in Congress, as well as some Republicans, want Homeland Security Secretary Christie Noem to also face consequences for the aggressive campaign in Minnesota.
A problem for the most radical faction of the Trump movement
Representatives of national conservatives in the US president's camp - such as Stephen Miller and J.D. Vance - are suffering a serious defeat with this turn in Trump's messaging. National conservatives believe that American liberalism cannot be overcome through conventional political methods such as compromise, writes "The Atlantic". National conservatives also argue that immigration poses a deadly threat to the United States, and that leftist politicians in America are "the enemy within". These two lines of thought are interconnected - national conservatives consider immigration a weapon that the left uses deliberately to establish lasting power by manipulating elections and creating dependence on the government - a process that can only be overcome through brutal operations like the one in Minneapolis.
The reason the American president still backed down after the serious repercussions of the murder of Alex Pretty in Minnesota is that while Trump listens to national conservatives, he does not have a deep knowledge of their theories, nor does he care that much, writes "The Atlantic". The US president, first of all, does not tolerate criticism and considers any process that puts him in an uncomfortable position, including critical news, such as has been abundant in recent days, to be a serious problem.
Author: Mina Kirkova