WATCH: 'You can't have guns. You can't walk in with guns,' Trump says of Alex Pretti killing

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: PBS News

Jan 27, 2026 1:44 PM EST


President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he did not think Alex Pretti, the second U.S. citizen to be killed by federal forces in Minnesota this month, was acting as an assassin.

"You can't have guns. You can't walk in with guns," the president said in response to a question from PBS News' Liz Landers, reiterating a talking point from the administration that Pretti should not have brought a legally carried handgun to the scene — a position that has infuriated gun rights advocates.

The president's response amounted to a softening of his administration's tone on the Jan. 24 shooting, after several of his top aides, including White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, described Pretti as a threat to federal agents.

Following Pretti's death, gun rights groups have released statements, saying that it's legal to carry firearms during protests or while exercising First Amendment rights.

Read more: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-you-cant-have-guns-you-cant-walk-in-with-guns-trump-says-of-alex-pretti-killing

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[Lovie777]

1. shithole wants to be a dictator....................

in a dictatorship the general masses can't have weapons. NRA supported him wholeheartedly.

[MenloParque]

2. Cool. Orange dictator doesn't like guns

Then I guess I am a 2nd Amendment Absolutist now!! Shall not be infringed' isn't that how it goes?? Never cared much about blasters but I love them now!!

[bromeando]

3. Guns

Blame the victim

[littlemissmartypants]

4. .

— Rebel with a Cause (@rebelwithacause2.bsky.social) 2026-01-27T12:38:28.001Z

[Norrrm]

5. Trump wanted his own domestic terrorists to be allowed guns on Jan6.

The very same domestic terrorists he pardoned for violently attacking police.

[Akakoji]

6. Except if you're storming a capital to stop the steal.

Or at a rally to overthrow the government elected by the people. Except the if you’re at an antiCovid restrictions action rally. Except if you’re working to suppress protests and free speech. He’s a hypocritical fukking liar.

[paleotn]

9. That would require neurons all in working order.

He's too senile to realize he just made himself look stupid.

[anneboleyn]

17. Exactly. Perfectly okay if storming Congress to "stop the steal "

[Chipper Chat]

7. Uh, ahem, can you say Rittenhouse.

[paleotn]

8. Thank you, President Moron.

It just ain't clicking upstairs. If it ever was.

[Fil1957]

10. Hey Magas, are you listening to what your guy is saying?

[popsdenver]

11. Back in the 70's

here in Denver, all kinds of bad guys were showing up at demonstrations with guns. It was ruled at that time, they could indeed show up with guns, because of the 2nd amendment..........

Sooooo, Denver passed a law that the guns could not be loaded with bullets.!!!!!!!????????
It seemed to relieve the Denver Cops somewhat, but not entirely. Not sure how the new law worked out long term.....

At the same time, (70's) there was a big uprising among cops and citizens backing the cops, due to the police chief only allowing the cop's side arm to be a 38 or 357 revolver, and to only use lead bullets, when all the banditos they were confronting had semi automatic pistols with hollow points.......

[aggiesal]

12. NRA doesn't allow guns in the building during the NRA convention ...

Talk about Irony Deficient.

[BidenRocks]

13. I don't want a statement from the NRA!

I want faces in front of cameras!

[sarisataka]

14. From the GOA (the NRA's less-reasonable cousin)

Link to tweet

[TomSlick]

15. My opinion is nuanced.

As much as I enjoy seeing the angst of gun humpers for the administration saying that lawfully carrying a gun to a demonstration is cause to shoot someone, I question the wisdom of packing heat in a context that could result in contact with knuckle dragging ICE/CBP goons. There is a significant risk of being dead right.

I'm amused by the gun humpers being surprised that the Second Amendment doesn't apply when demonstrating against fascists. No fascist government has ever tolerated armed citizens.

So, I won't carry a weapon to any situation in which I might have interaction with ICE/CBP goons or even the Arkansas State Police. I would be well within my rights to do so but I have no interest in of being killed for the exercise of that right - at least not yet.

[robbob]

21. Check out my post (below) and let me know what you think...

In summery, not clear that there WAS a demonstration of any size going on, or that he was there to attend one. By some accounts he wasn’t really dressed for an extended stay in cold weather, and may have just been out getting a coffee…

[TomSlick]

22. You are, of course, correct.

It appears he did not intend to confront ICE/CBP. However, at this point anyone on the streets in Minneapolis is likely to come into contact with nazi goons. A person's rights under state gun laws is irrelevant. It is the clear policy of ICE/CBP that an armed civilian is a legitimate target.

[BlueKota]

16. Once again More Maggats got played.

I never understood why they believed that a man who has openly admitted he admires dictators, and wants to be one, would want citizens to own and carry weapons. There's always a chance he could disappoint some of his own cult members enough, that they could turn against him.

Their gun rights were pretty much safer with Democratic Administrations.

[Stonealone]

19. The Fascist

have always said what The Left would do, while really meaning what they (The Fascist) really wanted to do. And will do, if given the chance! How many amendments are toast already? and how many more will fall too? Thank You USSC!!! Hope that 6 of you rot in HELL!

[Stonealone]

18. So What??

We should only bring Knives to a Gun Fight???
Who are we dealing with? Mr. Queeg? or Mr. Quisling? Or a combination of the two?

[robbob]

20. What I find infuriating about this line of talk, and the media dutifully reporting on it

The views we’ve seen from various angles show there was no mass protest going on. There were at most a couple dozen people observing the ICE operation. Also, others have opined that he was NOT dressed like someone who was planning to be outside long. Most likely he was out grabbing a coffee, maybe from the donut shop that was right there, saw the agents and decided to start filming. We may never know, but there is little to suggest this was a planned out excursion to attend a demonstration while wearing his legal sidearm.

[ColoringFool]

25. Re, Your Last Sentence: He Would Have Been Legal NO MATTER WHAT.

[robbob]

27. I'm not sure what you mean

I was just describing (perhaps poorly, sorry) that he had a license to carry. I never meant that there was something legal or illegal about the person himself, just the status of the weapon he was carrying.

[sakabatou]

23. So, how many of the Amendments are the GOP against now?

[Martin68]

24. Ummm. That's not what you said last week.

[Skittles]

26. "you can't have guns"

says the head of the party that pimps for EVERYONE to be armed

[LetMyPeopleVote]

28. MaddowBlog-Following Pretti killing, Trump opens the door to a radical shift on gun policy

To hear the Republican president tell it, Americans “can't have guns” at public gatherings. This creates an unexpected opportunity for reform advocates.

To hear the sitting Republican president tell it, Americans “can't have guns” at public gatherings.

Whether Trump understood what he was saying or not, doesn't this create an unexpected opportunity for reform advocates? www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2026-01-28T15:35:04.577Z

https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/following-pretti-killing-trump-opens-the-door-to-a-radical-shift-on-gun-policy

On Tuesday, Trump repeated the line with even greater enthusiasm. Asked during his latest Fox News interview about the shooting, the president said: “I don’t like the fact that he was carrying a gun that was fully loaded and he had two magazines with him.” That came on the heels of a Trump appearance at an Iowa restaurant where he said that Pretti “certainly shouldn’t have been carrying a gun.”

A few hours earlier, while departing the White House, the president told reporters: “You know, you can’t have guns. You can’t walk in with guns; you just can’t.”

Trump: "With that being said, you can't have guns. You can't walk in with guns. You just can't. You can't walk in with guns. You can't do that. But it's just a very unfortunate incident."

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2026-01-27T17:42:45.566Z

Whether or not Trump understands this, Pretti wasn’t at a protest, and even if he had been, he was legally entitled, under existing law, to carry a firearm. Indeed, well-armed conservatives have repeatedly showed up at public protests in recent years — and federal agents didn’t kill any of them.

But maybe this is the wrong way to examine the president’s comments. In fact, perhaps it would be more constructive to see his position less as incoherent prattling from an official who doesn’t understand the law or governing, and more as an invitation to a very different kind of debate over gun policy.

To hear the sitting Republican president tell it, Americans “can’t have guns” at public gatherings. This creates an unexpected opportunity for reform advocates to introduce legislation to codify Trump’s position into federal law.

Are GOP lawmakers prepared to consider such a proposal, or are they prepared to condemn Trump’s position as unconstitutional nonsense? Watch this space.