Within 24 hours, as various videos of the shooting circulated online, it became clear that the White House was out of step with public opinion and what Americans could see with their own eyes.
Since then, the administration – and the president himself – have changed tack, blaming Democrats for what happened and focusing less on the actions of the American nurse who was killed.
Democrats, meanwhile, have increased their criticism of the president’s mass deportation policy and the aggresive tactics of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), leaning into a political fight that could result in a new government shutdown on Friday.
On Monday morning, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche described the situation as a “powder keg”. While he blamed the Democrats, many on both sides of America’s political divide will agree that the current situation is fraught with peril.
The initial administration response to Pretti’s death was straightforward. The 37-year-old was portrayed as a domestic terrorist bent on bloodshed.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that Pretti wished to “inflict harm” and was “brandishing” a weapon. US Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino said that it “looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement”.
Senior presidential adviser Stephen Miller called Pretti a “would-be assassin”.
This White House has typically been quick to push back when criticised. “Deny and attack” has long been a bedrock Trump strategy for handling adversity.
But, perhaps tellingly, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt refused to echo Miller’s comments herself on Monday when pressed on whether the president agreed with his senior adviser. Instead, she said a full investigation would be carried out.
It was a notably more muted tone than that struck immediately after the shooting.
BBC
