By Ben Meiselas
Hi all. Let me get right into it today. Things have gotten very ugly for Donald Trump over the past 24 hours. This weekend was a breaking point for so many Americans after yet another American was murdered by the Trump regime. His name was Alex Pretti. They killed him in cold blood. Then they lied about it. Over. And over. And over again.
Even many of the regime’s staunchest defenders know that what transpired over the weekend was unforgivable, and the way the regime handled the situation made things even worse. To give you a sense of what I’m referring to, even Texas Governor Greg Abbott said earlier that ICE needs to “recalibrate” its mission after this weekend’s shooting. Our researchers have been watching Fox, and even they are struggling to defend what took place, with some of their hosts openly showing their disdain for the regime’s narrative.
And even now Donald Trump appears to be caving. After days of escalating rhetoric, lies, and authoritarian posturing, Trump abruptly shifted his tone on Monday as public outrage over the cold-blooded killing of Alex Jeffrey Pretti in Minneapolis continues to intensify. The pressure is working, and Trump is doing what he always does when cornered. He is trying to rewrite history and pretend he was reasonable all along. How dare he.
Earlier today, Trump posted that he had a “very respectful” call with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and that the two were on a similar wavelength. That post landed just hours after Trump had once again attacked Minnesota, defamed its leadership, and used the murder of Pretti as a pretext to threaten the state with more ICE and Border Patrol incursions. The whiplash was immediate and revealing of the data Trump was likely receiving in real time.
Trump claimed that Governor Walz asked to work together and that he told Walz he would have Tom Homan call him, adding that they were looking for “any and all criminals” Minnesota supposedly had in its possession. He went on to assert that Walz was happy about Homan going to Minnesota and that crime was already down, but that they both wanted to make it better. I’d like to get the governor’s take on all this, as we know Trump is a pathological liar.
Let’s be clear. Crime in Minnesota was already down before Trump’s federal agents flooded the state. That is due to the work of Governor Walz and local law enforcement, not Trump’s tactics. Trump himself had spent days calling Walz a felon, mocking him with juvenile nicknames, and openly calling for his arrest. He defamed the governor repeatedly, including just hours before posting this supposed olive branch. This is nothing more than capitulation dressed up as bravado. It’s yet another attempt to save face.
We have seen this pattern before. Trump threatens, bullies, and escalates until people stand up to him. When that happens, he looks for an off-ramp and pretends the entire confrontation ended in a friendly handshake. He did it with Greenland and Denmark after floating threats that bordered on invasion. He is doing it again now as Minnesotans and Americans across the country refuse to be intimidated. But the blood will forever remain on his hands.
The contrast between Trump’s morning and afternoon posts tells the real story. Earlier in the day, Trump announced that he was sending Tom Homan to Minnesota, claiming a massive welfare fraud scheme of more than $20 billion and absurdly suggesting it was responsible for “violent, organized protests.” He attacked Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, questioning her legitimacy and spreading lies about her wealth. JD Vance eagerly reposted the message, amplifying the lies.
Then, suddenly, Trump wanted the country to believe he and Governor Walz were partners working together respectfully. Nothing changed in Minnesota between those posts. What changed was the pressure.
I can’t emphasize this enough. This pressure is coming from everywhere. It is coming from communities that are peacefully protesting and refusing to be silenced. It is coming from Americans who do not want masked federal agents shooting people in the streets. It is even coming from Trump’s own supporters.
The regime’s narrative around Alex Pretti collapsed in real time. Trump officials and allies initially smeared him as a domestic terrorist who intended to massacre law enforcement. Stephen Miller said exactly that. So did senior officials at the Department of Homeland Security. JD Vance retweeted messages with those claims. They claimed Pretti approached agents with a firearm and reacted violently, forcing them to act in self-defense.
Video evidence immediately obliterated that story. Pretti was legally carrying a firearm with a permit. He was not brandishing it. He was not threatening anyone. The agents did not even know he had a firearm on his person prior to attacking him like a bunch of two-bit thugs. He was recording on his phone and attempting to render aid to a woman who had been pepper sprayed and thrown to the ground by federal agents. A Border Patrol agent removed the gun from Pretti’s holster. Once he was disarmed, beaten, and helpless on the ground, he was shot and killed. Executed at point-blank range. At least 10 shots fired at an ICU nurse who was simply trying to help a woman assaulted by Trump’s goons.
Even Fox News hosts began pushing back as the facts became undeniable. Todd Blanche, the regime’s number two at the Department of Justice, was forced to retreat on air, conceding that no one was seriously invoking the legal definition of domestic terrorism. He referred to the killing as a tragedy and said the facts were still being gathered. That was quite the admission from Trump’s number two at the DOJ.
The Wall Street Journal editorial board, hardly a liberal outlet, published an op-ed acknowledging that this situation was backfiring on Republicans. Yet even that editorial attempted to hedge by claiming Pretti “made a mistake.” He did not. Peacefully protesting is a First Amendment right. Legally carrying a firearm is a Second Amendment right. Rendering aid to someone who has been assaulted by law enforcement is not a crime.
The regime’s defenders have exposed their own hypocrisy. For years, they wrapped themselves in the Second Amendment, insisting that gun ownership is sacred. Now they argue that simply having a gun at a protest means the government can execute you on the spot. They were never absolutists about constitutional rights. They only care about power and control.
What makes this moment different is that people are refusing to accept it. Trump supporters are publicly breaking with him. Some are burning their MAGA hats. Others are writing that they can no longer support a president who believes exercising constitutional rights warrants a death sentence. One supporter wrote that this is no longer about politics but about basic human decency. That kind of reckoning is exactly what authoritarian movements fear most.
Finally, we are seeing celebrities and athletes begin to speak out, as well. The National Basketball Players Association led the charge yesterday, with a statement noting that “NBA players can no longer remain silent,” adding, “Now more than ever, we must defend the right to freedom of speech and stand in solidarity with the people in Minnesota protesting and risking their lives to demand justice.”
The ripple effects are spreading. Even prominent Republicans are starting to peel away. Ron DeSantis is attacking the regime over economic failures as the dollar weakens. In Minnesota, a leading Republican candidate for governor dropped out, saying he could not be part of a national party that is terrorizing his state. These are not isolated incidents. They are signs of a regime under strain.
And the violence is not isolated either. Alex Pretti is not the only victim. In 2026 alone, ICE and Border Patrol have killed at least nine people. Their names deserve to be remembered. Individuals like Renee Good and Keith Porter.
The circumstances of these deaths are horrific, including cases initially labeled as suicides that later showed signs of strangulation. The pattern is unmistakable, and so is the attempt to cover it up. Never trust the regime’s narratives. Ever.
All of this is unfolding as the regime stumbles from crisis to crisis. Measles outbreaks are surging across the country in a way that should be unthinkable in a developed nation. The administration continues to lie about Greenland and Denmark, even as those countries provide universal health care that Americans can only dream of. And now we are staring down yet another potential government shutdown, with Speaker Mike Johnson sending the House into recess and refusing to even address the killing of Pretti.
Trump is backing down not because he has found his conscience, but because he is being confronted. Peaceful protest works. Community solidarity works. Standing up to bullies works. So let’s keep doing it.
Later today, Ron Filipkowski will publish his news bulletin so everyone can catch up on the stories you may have missed. And tonight at 8 p.m. ET and 5 p.m. PT, my brothers and I will be live with the MeidasTouch Podcast on YouTube. Make sure to tune in and add the show on your favorite podcast apps. We will keep covering this, holding the powerful accountable, and telling the truth no matter how hard the regime tries to run from it.
Thank you for watching and reading — and thank you to our paid subscribers who fuel our coverage.
