Trump Calls Renee Good Killing a 'Tragedy,' Acknowledges ICE Agent Mistakes

President Trump on Tuesday said the killing of Renee Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis was a “tragedy” about which he “felt terribly,” adding that the immigration agents he has deployed sometimes are “going to make a mistake.” The change in tone was stark for the president, who said he had been told that Ms. Good’s father was a strong Trump supporter. Just hours after she was killed on Jan. 7, Mr. Trump falsely claimed that Ms. Good “violently, willfully, and viciously ran over the ICE officer” and said that she had “behaved horribly.” He later said Ms. Good, a poet and a mother of three, had a “highly disrespectful” attitude toward law enforcement and suggested that it justified her killing. Trump administration officials, including Kristi Noem, the secretary of homeland security, were quick to accuse Ms. Good of being a “domestic terrorist.” But at the White House on Tuesday, Mr. Trump dropped that hard-line stance as he delivered a meandering reflection on his first year back in office. “You know, when the woman was shot, I felt terribly about it,” he said, referring to Ms. Good. “And I understand both sides of it.” He called the shooting “a horrible thing.” “You know they’re going to make mistakes,” Mr. Trump said. “Sometimes ICE is going to be too rough with somebody or, you know — they deal with rough people. They’re going to make a mistake. Sometimes it can happen terribly.” Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? Log in. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.