What to Know
Alex Pretti’s family has spoken out about the harm that the Trump administration’s rhetoric has caused, but Vice President JD Vance is acting like he doesn’t even know why he would apologize to them. Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse, was shot and killed by federal agents in Minneapolis on January 24. After his death, Trump administration officials made numerous false, offensive, and harmful claims about Pretti. But based on Vance’s recent interview with the Daily Mail, he seems to think he has done nothing wrong.
The vice president questioned why he should apologize.
During an interview with the Daily Mail, Vance was asked whether he apologized or planned to apologize to Pretti’s family. Instead of admitting to any sort of wrongdoing or acknowledging the harm his rhetoric caused, he doubled down and actually acted like he had no reason to apologize. “For what?” he questioned. The reporter responded with, “For, you know, labeling him an assassin with ill intent.”
Even during that interview, Vance continued to describe Pretti as “a guy who showed up with ill intent to an ICE protest,” and didn’t acknowledge the fact that he falsely labeled him an “assassin.” The reporter questioned, “If it’s determined that his civil rights were violated, by this FBI investigation, will you apologize?” Vance dismissed this question by treating it like a pointless “hypothetical” that’s not worthy of his acknowledgement right now. He shot back with, “So, if this hypothetical leads to that hypothetical leads to that hypothetical, will I do a thing? Again, like I said. We’re going to let the investigation determine.”
Previously, Vance amplified claims that Pretti was an “assassin.”
After Pretti’s death, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller called Pretti “an assassin” who “tried to murder federal agents,” and Vance reposted it.
An assassin tried to murder federal agents and this is your response. https://t.co/4Gx5UPpc4X
— Stephen Miller (@StephenM) January 24, 2026
On the day that Pretti was killed, Vance also wrote, “This level of engineered chaos is unique to Minneapolis. It is the direct consequence of far-left agitators working with local authorities.” Pretti’s parents and sister have said it’s been extremely painful to see Trump administration officials spreading false information about who Pretti was. Pretti’s sister described her brother as someone who “made people feel safe.” She also said, “Hearing disgusting lies spread about my brother is absolutely gut-wrenching, and my family is deeply grateful so many people have stood up and helped tell his truth.”
Pretti’s parents specifically mentioned the Trump administration in their own statement, writing, “The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting. Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man.”
The recent interview has sparked a ton of backlash online.
Reporter: Do you plan to apologize to the family of Alex Pretti? Vance: For what?
— FactPost (@factpostnews.bsky.social) February 4, 2026 at 10:03 AM
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In the eyes of many, the way Vance amplified false claims about Pretti was already bad enough, but the way he refused to acknowledge it made some feel like Vance actually has “no conscience.” People on social media could think of lots of words to describe Vance after watching this interview: for example, “smug,” “gross,” “immoral,” and “evil.” Someone said he seems “completely unfit for any position in government at any level,” and another person added that he’s “more unlikable than the orange guy.”
Many critics also couldn’t get over the look on Vance’s face when he said, “For what?” One of them wrote, “The little smirk as he says ‘For what’ tells us everything we need to know about this man. Rotten to the very core.”
