Donald Trump Calls Alex Pretti an ‘Insurrectionist’ over His Altercation with Federal Agents 11 Days Before Fatal Shooting

Donald Trump has labeled Alex Pretti an “insurrectionist” after newly published footage showed the late ICU nurse in a confrontation with federal agents in Minneapolis.

Video shared by The News Moment on Wednesday, Jan. 28 — recorded 11 days before Pretti was fatally shot by U.S. Border Patrol officers on Jan. 24 — appears to show him approaching a government vehicle during what looked like a protest.

In a Truth Social post shared in the early hours of Friday, Jan. 30, Trump, 79, described Pretti as an “agitator” and “perhaps, insurrectionist,” while accusing him of “screaming and spitting” at an ICE officer and then forcefully kicking a government vehicle, allegedly breaking off a taillight.

In the footage, Pretti — dressed in brown and tan winter clothing — is shown shouting toward people inside an SUV and striking the vehicle with his feet. After the taillight appears to break, individuals exit the SUV and make contact with him.

At one point, an unidentified agent wearing a face covering grabs Pretti and appears to force him to the ground. The camera shakes as other agents move into the scene and surround the encounter.

Trump continued in the same post, calling the incident “a display of abuse and anger,” while praising the ICE officer involved as “calm and cool.”

A representative for Pretti’s family confirmed to CNN, CBS News and NBC News that Pretti is depicted in the recently published video.

Pretti’s family attorney, Steve Schleicher, said in a statement that a week before Pretti was killed, he was “violently assaulted by a group of ICE agents,” and argued that nothing in the earlier incident could have justified what happened on Jan. 24.

Pretti’s death came just over two weeks after 37-year-old mother of three Renee Nicole Good was killed by ICE agent Jonathan Ross on the morning of Jan. 7 in Minneapolis.

The Department of Homeland Security previously said U.S. Border Patrol officers were conducting “a targeted operation” against “an illegal alien wanted for violent assault” when they encountered Pretti on Jan. 24. DHS assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin said Pretti, described as a lawful gun owner with a permit, approached officers while armed with a handgun and “violently resisted” as they tried to disarm him.

Footage verified by The New York Times appeared to challenge that account. It shows Pretti among a group of protesters with both hands visible and his phone in one hand as an agent sprays pepper spray toward the group. Agents then move in and pin him to the sidewalk, and witnesses said he had been helping a woman up from the ground moments before he was pepper-sprayed and shot multiple times.