After the public execution of Alex Pretti on Saturday morning, the weekend’s news cycle focused on the stark divide between the lies by administration officials and the true facts painfully documented in multiple videos. Major news outlets also focused on the political fallout for Trump, noting growing dissent among Republicans in the administration, Congress, and statehouses.
While the political ramifications are relevant, the most important question is this: What will WE do? Will we allow others control the narrative? Will we allow the press to turn Alex Pretti’s execution into another “political horse race” story? Will we allow disinformation and deep-fake videos to deceive users on social media platforms? Will we allow Trump-friendly outlets to convert a clear-cut case of public execution into an exercise of cowardly “both sides” journalism? See, e.g., Politico, A battle over the truth erupts after deadly Minneapolis shooting.
Or will WE become the incontrovertible witnesses to the truth? Will our voices, our bodies, our rage, and our determination become the living testament to Alex Pretti’s life and death? Will our actions inscribe the truth in the archives of our nation’s collective memory?
The answer is obvious, inevitable, and a moral imperative: We must rise to strike down the monstrous lies that Trump and his sycophants are peddling to an increasingly dubious right-wing base. Over a bitterly cold weekend across much of America, we did just that. With little notice and in the face of treacherous conditions, tens of thousands of Americans stood to tell the truth about Alex Pretti’s execution. In the coming week, our numbers must swell to the hundreds of thousands, then to the millions.
We have a powerful weapon that should embolden us as it humiliates Trump and his lying liars: The truth. Even highly motivated GOP partisans are squeamish and tentative in their defense of the unnamed Border Patrol officers who shot Alex Pretti in the back “at least three times” as they claim “self-defense.”
Armed with the truth, we must press our advantage until DHS and ICE are defunded or reformed from the ground up. They must be withdrawn from Minneapolis and every other location where state and local officials oppose their presence; agents must be disarmed and required to wear body cameras; they must meet national standards for hiring, training, and oversight; Kristi Noem and Kash Patel must be impeached or fired and prosecuted (for obstruction of justice); Greg Bovino should be fired and prosecuted (for obstruction of justice); every lawyer who advised ICE that agents could ignore the 4th Amendment’s proibition against searches without a warrant should be disbarred.
As described below, divisions are growing in Trump’s base. I describe those emerging fault lines not to say that we can relent, but to say that our protests are having their intended effect. Readers often say, “Trump doesn’t care about protests.” That is true, but his enablers do, because they can see a world (soon) in which Trump will no longer be able to protect or punish them. And that prospect terrifies them.
The weekend aftermath.
As with the murder of Renee Good, officials from Dept. of Homeland Security, DOJ, FBI, ICE, and Border Patrol fanned out to right-wing and national media outlets to spread lies about the public execution of Alex Pretti. See CBS News, In Alex Pretti’s killing, a sharp contrast between what Trump officials say and what video shows.
Per CBS,
Kristi Noem, who is in charge of the “investigation” of the killing, said, “We have someone showing up with weapons and using them to assault law enforcement officers.”
Kash Patel told an incredulous Maria Bartiromo, “You do not get to attack law enforcement officials in this country without any repercussions.” When Bartiromo said there was no evidence of an attack or a gun, Patel said that “DHS would investigate the facts.” (See DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s lie above, for a sense of how vigorously DHS will “investigate the facts.)
Border Patrol Chief and Brown-Shirt fashion model said, “Second Amendment rights don’t count when you riot and assault…law enforcement officers,” a statement that angered the NRA and gun rights organizations across America. (See below.)
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche blamed Minnesota Governor Tim Walz for the execution of Alex Pretti, claiming the governor “did not care about his citizens.”
The lies by Noem, Bovino, Patel, and Blanche did not sit well with their interviewers. When challenged on those lies, Trump’s minions melted into the woodwork. See Raw Story, Trump’s White House Is In Chaos And Spirals Into Damage Control
There’s a telling moment when an administration loses control of its own story. It’s not always dramatic—no resignation speeches or emergency press conferences. Sometimes it’s just the silence where certainty used to be, the fumbling where there should be message discipline, the allies who suddenly can’t find the talking points.
That moment arrived for the Trump White House this weekend. [¶]
Watch how they’ve responded—or more accurately, how they’ve failed to respond. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, pressed by NBC’s Kristen Welker on whether Pretti ever brandished a weapon, couldn’t answer.
Not wouldn’t—couldn’t. He mumbled about ongoing investigations while video evidence showed Pretti holding up his phone, recording the agents who would kill him seconds later. This wasn’t strategic ambiguity. This was a senior Justice Department official with no idea what he was supposed to say.
The developing inconsistency in the adminstration’s position was highlighted by the fact that Trump undermined each of his defenders on Sunday evening in a short interview with the Wall Street Journal in which Trump said that “we’re reviewing everthing and will make a determination”—a position that is fundamentally at odds with the attacks on Pretti by Noem, Patel, Bovino, and Blanche. See WSJ, Trump Says Administration Is ‘Reviewing Everything’ About Minneapolis Shooting (Gift article accessible to all.)
Per the WSJ,
In a five-minute telephone interview with The Wall Street Journal on Sunday, Trump didn’t directly answer when asked twice whether the officer who shot Alex Pretti had done the right thing. Pressed further, the president said, “We’re looking, we’re reviewing everything and will come out with a determination.” Administration officials have publicly defended the officer. [¶]
“I don’t like any shooting. I don’t like it,” Trump added. “But I don’t like it when somebody goes into a protest and he’s got a very powerful, fully loaded gun with two magazines loaded up with bullets also. That doesn’t play good either.”
Note that Trump’s equivocation about the killing arises from the fact that it “doesn’t play good”—i.e., “look good” politically—not that it is wrong to execute innocent Americans.
As explained in the Raw Story article, linked above, Trump is “frustrated” that protesters are controlling the narrative about ICE violence:
Behind the scenes, the picture is even worse. According to CNN’s reporting, Trump has been expressing frustration that his immigration messaging is “getting lost”—as if the problem is branding rather than the fact that federal agents killed a nurse on camera. Sources describe him as “exasperated,” which is a polite way of saying the president is watching his signature issue spiral out of control and doesn’t know how to stop it.
But it’s not just protesters who are condemning Trump. See, e.g., HuffPo, Republicans Call For Investigation After Federal Agents Kill Minneapolis Man.
Per HuffPo, outgoing Senator Thom Tillis said,
“There must be a thorough and impartial investigation into yesterday’s Minneapolis shooting, which is the basic standard that law enforcement and the American people expect following any officer-involved shooting,” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) posted on X.
“Any administration official who rushes to judgment and tries to shut down an investigation before it begins are doing an incredible disservice to the nation and to President Trump’s legacy,” Tillis added.
Senator Bill Cassidy sharply criticized the administration’s response, saying that the rush to judgment in the face of contradictory evidence was hurting the credibility of DHS and ICE. See The Hill, GOP senator after fatal Minneapolis shooting: ‘The credibility of ICE and DHS are at stake’
Senator Cassidy said,
“The events in Minneapolis are incredibly disturbing. The credibility of ICE and DHS are at stake. There must be a full joint federal and state investigation. We can trust the American people with the truth,”
And then there is the National Rifle Association, which was angered by statements by Kash Patel, Kristi Noem, and a conservative U.S. attorney suggesting that anyone carrying a gun who approaches a law enforcement officer is at risk of being shot by the officer. NYTimes, Demands for Investigation Grow as Trump Officials Blame Victim. (Behind a paywall.)
As reported by the Times,
Bill Essayli – who was appointed by Trump to temporarily serve as a US attorney in California in 2025 – posted on social media: “If you approach law enforcement with a gun, there is a high likelihood they will be legally justified in shooting you.” [¶]
In response, the NRA posted: “This sentiment … is dangerous and wrong. Responsible public voices should be awaiting a full investigation, not making generalizations and demonizing law-abiding citizens.” [¶]
Thomas Massie, a Republican US representative of Kentucky, separately wrote to Essayli: “Carrying a firearm is not a death sentence, it’s a Constitutionally protected God-given right, and if you don’t understand this you have no business in law enforcement or government.” [¶]
Indeed, the NRA and pro-gun groups are joining the chorus calling for a full investigation of the killing of Alex Pretti—a stance that is at odds with the administration’s “blame Alex Pretti for his own execution” narrative. See The Guardian, NRA and pro-gun groups call for ‘full investigation’ into killing of Alex Pretti.
Finally, former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton released statements. The statement by Barack and Michelle Obama is here, Barack Obama issues rare political statement condemning DHS over Alex Pretti shooting — as Dems rally against Trump admin. President Obama’s statement is fine as far as it goes—which is not far.
But former President Bill Clinton did not hold back. Per The Financial Press, former President Clinton said the following:
In recent weeks, we’ve watched horrible scenes play out in Minneapolis and other communities that I never thought would take place in America. All of this is unacceptable and should have been avoided.
To make matters even worse, at every turn, the people in charge have lied to us, told us not to believe what we’ve seen with our own eyes, and pushed increasingly aggressive and antagonistic tactics, including impeding investigations by local authorities.”
Over the course of a lifetime, we face only a few moments where the decisions we make and the actions we take will shape our history for years to come. This is one of them. If we give our freedoms away after 250 years, we might never get them back.
President Clinton’s final paragraph describes the essence of where we find ourselves: We are engaged in an existential battle for democracy. The actions we take will shape history for years to come. We must act now!
Opportunity for Reader Engagement
Zoom with our friends at Force Multiplier as they host the leaders of Onyx Impact and Voto Latino, who are working in our target states to re-engage Black and Latino voters. Hear from Esosa Osa, Founder of Onyx Impact, and Ameer Patel, Vice President of Programs, Voto Latino, on Monday, January 26, 2026, 7-8:00 pm ET, on Zoom.
Onyx Impact and Voto Latino use innovative, culture-forward digital strategies to re-engage Black and Latino voters who drifted from Democrats in 2024 but may be persuadable in 2026 and beyond Register and Donate HERE.
Concluding Thoughts
I hope everyone battling the freezing temperatures is safe and warm. Do not hesitate to call a friend or neighbor if you need help—especially if you are without power! In times of natural disaster, we are all neighbors and friends.
Jill and I joined a “pop-up” bridge brigade on Sunday in our “usual spot” on a pedestrian overpass spanning the 101 Freeway. The level of support—honks, waves, peace signs, and “power to the people” salutes—was the highest it has ever been. Indeed, the response was so overwhelming that neighbors adjacent to the freeway complained about the noise from the honking, which led to a brief but mutually respectful discussion with the LAPD (see photo below, or Jill’s blog, here: Everyday with Jill, Protesting Alex Pretti’s Murder.)
Because the killing of Alex Pretti occurred on early Saturday morning during a widespread winter storm, it was more challenging than usual to organize large protests—although there were some notable exceptions. It is my fervent hope that the coming week will bring larger protests and an organized call for a national strike that is led by grassroots organizations like Indivisible.
The American public knows that Alex Pretti was murdered by out-of-control ICE / BPB agents who have been told by JD Vance that they have “absolute immunity.” Indeed, rather than suspending the officers from duty during the investigation, the killers have been re-assigned to other cities under cover of darkness. See Washington Examiner, Border Patrol agents involved in Pretti shooting reassigned.
DHS, ICE, and CBP are corrupt, rogue agencies that have no intention of holding anyone accountable for the execution of Alex Pretti. The best solution is to abolish them and begin anew. DHS was created after 9/11 and is surplusage that can be eliminated without being replaced. The US has 17 other intelligence agencies, including a National Security Advisor, National Security Council, FBI Director, and CIA Director, all of whom can and do advise the president on a coordinated basis about global and domestic threats.
Whatever happens in the upcoming budget battle, we are in a far stronger position because we have called, written, texted, and showed up at protests. We have the advantage and the momentum, We must increase our intensity and commitment in the coming weeks. We owe it to Renee Good, Alex Pretti, and everyone else killed, injured, or wrongfully detained or deported by the federal government.
Talk to you tomorrow!
Pro-democracy protest photos
South Bend Indiana in honor and memory of Alex Pretti
San Fernando Valley (Los Angeles suburb) steps up with an energetic pop-up of grassroots veterans and newbies.
Indivisible San Jose
Marion Square in Charleston, SC
Essex Junction Vermont
Newburyport.
Memorial site for Alex Pretti, Minneapolis, MN
Salisbury CT, Lakeview Journal
Bangor, ME
San Fernando Valley Bridge Brigade, Encino, CA
Talking to LAPD officers about complaints from neighbors over noise from honking cars. A respectful interaction that ended without incident.
I-89, Enfield, NH. Temperature -10
Wilmette, IL
Culver City, CA
Worcester MD
Freeport Visibility Brigade on the I-295 Desert Road Overpass
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