Trump defends ICE agent, shows NYT reporters video of deadly Minneapolis shooting
President Donald Trump defended the fatal shooting of a Minnesota woman by a federal immigration officer, running footage of the scene to a group of New York Times reporters amid an hourslong interview that was held shortly after news broke of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) shooting.
"I’ll play the tape for you right now," Trump told The New York Times from the Oval Office amid a sweeping interview Wednesday.
"I want to see nobody get shot. I want to see nobody screaming and trying to run over policemen either," Trump said as the reporters began pressing him on the issue, the outlet reported.
Renee Nicole Good was fatally shot by an ICE agent Wednesday in Minnesota as federal agents converged on the city as a massive fraud scandal unfolds in the state.
PHOTOS RELEASED OF RENEE NICOLE GOOD, THE US CITIZEN KILLED BY ICE IN MINNESOTA
The scandal has exposed alleged money laundering operations run through phony meal and housing programs, daycare centers and Medicaid services, according to investigators. Dozens of arrests have been made since 2022, mostly from the state's large Somali community.
The New York Times held a two-hour interview with Trump just after the shooting unfolded, with reporters discussing an array of topics including Venezuela and Greenland, as well as the Minneapolis shooting.
The administration has defended the shooting, with Department of Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem saying Good was in the midst of carrying out an "act of domestic terrorism" targeting federal law enforcement officers.
Good was operating a vehicle at the time of her death. Agents ordered her to exit the vehicle, which she refused and "attempted to run them over and ram them with her vehicle," according to Noem.
The shooting has led to an outpouring of condemnation and concern among Democrat lawmakers and critics of the Trump administration who have called the shooting a "murder," while some protesters have also taken to the streets of Minnesota.
Trump called on an aide to bring in a laptop to run footage of the scene to the reporters as they asked about his view that Good attempted to run over the officers. The shooting unfolded on a snow-lined residential street in Minneapolis.
"That was a vicious situation that took place," Trump said.
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"She behaved horribly," Trump added. "And then she ran him over. She didn’t try to run him over. She ran him over."
The president repeatedly reiterated to the reporters that the scene was tragic, and "no, I don’t like that happening." He also focused much of his comments on criticizing the Biden administration's immigration policies that led to an illegal immigration crisis under his tenure, the New York Times reported.
"It’s a terrible scene," Trump said as footage of the video concluded. "I think it’s horrible to watch. No, I hate to see it."
The New York Times reported that Trump "sidestepped" when asked if the "ICE operation had gone too far," and instead blamed "his predecessor's immigration policies."
When asked for additional comment on the matter, the White House directed Fox Digital to Trump's Truth Social message Wednesday that, after reviewing footage, "the woman driving the car was very disorderly, obstructing and resisting, who then violently, willfully, and viciously ran over the ICE Officer, who seems to have shot her in self defense."
"Based on the attached clip, it is hard to believe he is alive, but is now recovering in the hospital. The situation is being studied, in its entirety, but the reason these incidents are happening is because the Radical Left is threatening, assaulting, and targeting our Law Enforcement Officers and ICE Agents on a daily basis," Trump continued in his Truth Social post.
The White House posted a message on social media backing federal and local law enforcement officers following the shooting.
"We stand with the brave men and women of ICE and law enforcement who risk everything to keep our communities safe," the White House posted to social media following the shooting.
The Department of Homeland Security reported in December that assaults and violent attacks against ICE law enforcement officers have surged more than 1,150% compared to attacks under the Biden administration. It found there were 238 assaults on ICE officers between Jan. 21, 2025 to Nov. 21, 2025, up from just 19 during the same timeframe in 2024.
Fox News Digital's Bonny Chu contributed to this report.