‘It Just Happens’: Trump Bows to Pressure, Admits ICE Is ‘Gonna Make Mistakes Sometimes’

January 22, 2026 Justin Peters

Marking the one-year anniversary of his second inauguration, Trump made a rare joint appearance with White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt during her daily briefing on Tuesday, where he fielded questions from reporters for nearly an hour on a wide range of topics.

While staff distributed a printed list of “365 wins” from his first year in office, the president’s most newsworthy remarks came when he addressed—for the first time publicly—the January 7 fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis.

Pressed on the incident that has sparked ongoing protests, calls for ICE removal from the city by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, and nationwide scrutiny of federal enforcement tactics, Trump offered a measured but defensive response.

“They’re gonna make mistakes sometimes,” he said. “ICE is gonna be too rough with somebody or—you know, they’re dealing with rough people. They’re gonna make a mistake sometimes. It can happen.”

He continued: “We feel terrible. I felt horribly when I was told that the young woman had the tragedy. But when I learned her father is a—I hope he still is, but I don’t know—was a tremendous Trump fan. He was all for Trump. Loved Trump.”

Trump added: “And, you know, it’s terrible. It’s so sad. It just happens.”

The president also reiterated previous claims that “professional agitators” were present at the scene. “When she was shot, there was another woman that was screaming, ‘Shame. Shame. Shame. Shame.’ So loud. Like a professional opera singer,” he said. “She was so loud. And so professional. She wasn’t a woman that was hurt like, ‘Oh my heart is injured.’ She was a professional.”

He concluded: “These are professional agitators and professional people that want to see our country do badly.”

The comments represent Trump’s most direct public acknowledgment of the Good shooting, which has become a flashpoint in the national debate over ICE tactics.

Video footage shows agents approaching Good’s SUV before multiple shots are fired, after which the vehicle moves forward and collides with another car. DHS has maintained the agent acted in self-defense, alleging Good “weaponized her vehicle.”

Local officials, including Mayor Frey, have called that narrative “bulls—” and demanded an independent investigation.

Earlier Contradictions and Threats

Trump’s Tuesday remarks followed a more defensive tone in a January 13 CBS Evening News interview with Tony Dokoupil, where he appeared to waver on Good’s character and the shooting itself.

“I would bet you that she, under normal circumstances, was a very solid, wonderful person,” he said. “But, you know, her actions were pretty tough.”

When asked about the video evidence, Trump added: “When you look at that tape, it—it can be viewed two ways, I guess. But when you look at the way… that car was pulled away, there are a couple versions of that tape that are very, very bad.”

On January 15, Trump posted on Truth Social threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act in Minnesota if state officials did not “stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of I.C.E.”

He wrote: “If the corrupt politicians of Minnesota don’t obey the law and stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of I.C.E., who are only trying to do their job, I will institute the INSURRECTION ACT, which many Presidents have done before me, and quickly put an end to the travesty that is taking place in that once great State.”

The threat drew sharp criticism from Democrats and civil liberties groups, who accused the president of attempting to federalize the response to protests and potentially militarize domestic law enforcement.

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Looking at ICE Enforcement and Public Backlash

The Good shooting has galvanized opposition to the administration’s mass deportation program, with protests continuing daily in Minneapolis and spreading to other cities.

Additional incidents—including agents dragging a disabled woman from her car and arresting restaurant workers hours after dining at their establishment have fueled accusations of excessive force, racial profiling, and intimidation.

Data from the University of California, Berkeley’s Deportation Data Project shows nearly 75,000 people arrested in the first nine months of Trump’s second term had no criminal record. ProPublica identified over 170 cases of U.S. citizens being detained or questioned without clear justification.

The administration has defended ICE’s actions as necessary for national security and immigration enforcement, while critics argue the tactics have created an atmosphere of fear, particularly in immigrant and mixed-status communities.

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What Does This Mean for the Midterms

Trump’s Tuesday comments—acknowledging “mistakes” while defending ICE and blaming “professional agitators”—represent an attempt to balance acknowledgment of the tragedy with support for the agency and his broader immigration agenda.

With 2026 midterms approaching, the Minneapolis shooting and related controversies have become a major liability for Republicans. Democrats are framing the incidents as evidence of reckless enforcement and lack of accountability, while Republicans emphasize the need for strong border security and law and order.

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Whether Trump’s measured tone on Tuesday helps defuse criticism or is seen as insufficient remains to be seen. For now, the president’s first public comments on the Good shooting have ensured the incident—and ICE’s conduct remain central to the national conversation as the midterm campaign intensifies.

The administration’s handling of the fallout will likely shape voter perceptions of its immigration policies and leadership in the months ahead.