President Donald Trump seized on newly released video footage of Alex Pretti early Friday, using the images to portray the 37-year-old as an “agitator” and “perhaps, insurrectionist” in the weeks leading up to his fatal shooting by Border Patrol agents.
In a Truth Social post, Trump said Pretti’s public standing had sharply declined following the release of footage that the president said showed a disturbing pattern of aggressive behavior toward federal immigration officers.
Trump described the video as evidence of what he called a “crazed” display of anger and abuse directed at Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents just days before the January 24 shooting that ended Pretti’s life.
Trump wrote that Pretti could be seen screaming and spitting at what the president described as a “very calm and under control” ICE officer, before violently kicking a government vehicle with such force that a taillight shattered.
Trump praised the officer’s composure under pressure, calling it “not an easy thing to be under those circumstances,” and framed the footage as a clear example of misconduct that Americans deserved to see.
The video in question was published Wednesday by the News Movement and corroborated through reporting involving BBC News. It shows a confrontation on January 13 between a man later identified by his family as Pretti and federal immigration agents. In the footage, the man yells at officers, spits in their direction, and kicks the back of their vehicle as it drives away.
Moments later, agents exit the vehicle, tackle the man, and deploy chemical irritants as bystanders scatter. The confrontation appears to end quickly, with the man released shortly afterward and the agents leaving the scene.
A second video, published by the Minnesota Star Tribune, captured the same incident from another angle. Pretti’s family confirmed to the outlet that he was the individual shown in both videos. CNN reported earlier this week that Pretti had broken a rib during an altercation with federal agents more than a week before his death, though the Department of Homeland Security told the network that it has “no record of this incident.”
Trump’s comments mark the latest chapter in a highly charged debate over Pretti’s actions and the circumstances surrounding his death. Immediately after the shooting, the Trump administration characterized Pretti as a domestic terrorist, alleging he had planned to “massacre law enforcement,” a claim that sparked intense backlash and scrutiny.
While Pretti was carrying a holstered firearm at the time he was killed, video footage shows the weapon was never in his hand. The firearm was removed from his waistband by an agent prior to the shooting, a fact that has been central to criticism of the use of deadly force.
In response to the January 13 confrontation video, a lawyer representing Pretti’s family issued a statement to the Associated Press disputing the administration’s narrative. The attorney said that Pretti had been “violently assaulted by a group of ICE agents” a week before his death and insisted that nothing from that earlier incident could justify what happened on January 24.
“Nothing that happened a full week before could possibly have justified Alex’s killing,” the lawyer said, maintaining that Pretti posed no threat at the time he was shot.
Still, Trump’s framing of the newly surfaced footage underscores his administration’s position that Pretti’s past behavior matters when evaluating the broader context of the deadly encounter. By highlighting the video, Trump signaled that he believes the images raise serious questions about Pretti’s conduct and challenge portrayals of him as an innocent victim, even as the shooting itself continues to draw national attention and controversy.
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