Trump Comments On Pretti: ‘I Don’t Like the Fact that He Was Carrying a Gun’
President Donald Trump addressed the death of Alex Pretti during an interview Tuesday on The Will Cain Show on Fox News, striking a tone that combined sympathy with pointed concern about the circumstances surrounding the fatal encounter.
While calling the shooting “terrible,” Trump made clear that he was troubled by the fact that Pretti was armed at the time of the confrontation with federal immigration agents.
“I think the whole thing was terrible,” Trump said. “I don’t like the fact that he was carrying a gun that was fully loaded and he had two magazines with him.” The president emphasized the uncertainty surrounding the moment force was used, noting that “no one knows when they saw the gun, how they saw the gun, everything else,” before returning to his central conclusion that the situation ended tragically.
Pretti was "on duty" in an active insurgency group backed by the State
He was not protesting, there was no protest.
He showed up to "resist" Federal law enforcement and brought his 9mm with an extra mag.
When confronted he fought back https://t.co/vMgMwEivfF
— Tim Pool (@Timcast) January 27, 2026
Pretti was reportedly carrying a Sig Sauer AXG Combat pistol, a firearm that typically ships with 21-round magazines. The presence of a loaded handgun has become a focal point in the public debate over the shooting, particularly as protests and political pressure campaigns continue to frame Pretti solely as a victim of federal overreach. Trump’s comments, while restrained, introduced a counterpoint that highlights the risks faced by agents operating in volatile enforcement situations.
Trump also addressed a separate January 7, 2026, incident involving Renee Good, who was shot and killed by a federal agent after allegedly driving her vehicle into him during an immigration enforcement action. The president again described the event as “terrible,” reinforcing that both cases represented outcomes no one wanted, even as the administration continues to defend the necessity of immigration enforcement operations.
Pretti was a soldier. He showed up in the morning to go to war—to fight force with force, for a purpose he perceived as good.
He didn’t expect to kill. It wasn’t part of his plan for the day. Nor was getting killed.
But that’s part of being a soldier, isn’t it?
— Curtis Yarvin (@curtis_yarvin) January 26, 2026
Additional reporting has complicated the narrative surrounding Pretti’s death. Earlier Tuesday, the New York Post reported that Pretti had suffered a broken rib during a violent confrontation with federal agents approximately one week before the fatal shooting. That report suggests the January incident was not an isolated encounter, but part of a series of escalating interactions between Pretti and immigration officials.
CNN also reported that a source indicated federal immigration authorities had documented details about Pretti prior to the shooting. It remains unclear whether he came to their attention solely because of the earlier confrontation or whether he had been known to officials before that incident. That uncertainty has fueled further questions about what agents knew, when they knew it, and how those assessments may have shaped their perception of risk during the final encounter.