Did Trump say 'only criminals carry guns?' No, here's what he did say

• A viral screenshot of Donald Trump saying "only criminals carry guns" is an apparent fake.
• The screenshot circulated after a protester, Alex Pretti, was shot and killed by a Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis.
• Trump did question why Pretti, who had a license to carry, brought a "fully loaded gun" to a protest.

A screenshot of President Donald Trump saying "only criminals carry guns" on Truth Social is fake.

The Trump administration drew criticism over the weekend after a protester in Minneapolis was shot and killed by a Border Patrol agent. Federal officials have defended the shooting of the protester, ICU nurse Alex Pretti, saying he brought a gun to the protest to "kill law enforcement." Bystander footage shows Pretti holding his phone, not a gun, before being wrestled to the ground.

The fake screenshot shared on social media shows Trump saying, "He had a gun, only criminals carry guns on our streets, we need law and order. Thank you for your attention to this matter. President Donald J. Trump." USA TODAY found no evidence that the message was actually posted. The post is not on Trump's Truth Social profile and is not shown in an archived capture of his profile on the afternoon of the shooting. The White House confirmed it was fake.

But Trump has commented on the fact that Pretti had a gun. What did he say?

What did Trump say about guns after Pretti's death?

Pretti had a license to carry a concealed weapon and had a gun on him when he joined protesters on Jan. 24. Immigration enforcement in Minneapolis has faced backlash, intensified by the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good weeks before Pretti's death. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said at a news conference that Pretti "approached U.S. Border Patrol officers with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun." She did not specify if he was brandishing the weapon.

Trump also posted on Jan. 24 a photo of what he called "the gunman's gun," saying, "what is that all about?"

Noem and other federal officials called Pretti a "domestic terrorist."

"I don't know of any peaceful protesters that shows up with a gun and ammunition rather than a sign," Noem said. "This is a violent riot when you have someone showing up with weapons."

Trump also criticized Pretti for bringing a gun in an interview with the Wall Street Journal published Jan. 25.

"I don’t like any shooting. I don’t like it," Trump said. "But I don’t like it when somebody goes into a protest and he’s got a very powerful, fully loaded gun with two magazines loaded up with bullets also. That doesn’t play good either."

He also told the Journal they are "reviewing everything" about the shooting.

(This story has been updated with additional information.)

Contributing: Christopher Cann, Shawn J. Sullivan, USA TODAY

Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at [email protected]. Follow her onX (Twitter),Bluesky andTikTok.