Donald Trump contradicted the divisive comments made by his senior advisors about the deadly shooting of Alex Pretti by federal agents as he called for “de-escalation” in Minnesota.
Mr Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse, was shot dead by immigration enforcement (ICE) agents in Minneapolis last weekend, just weeks after the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Good by ICE agents in the same city.
The news was met with derisory remarks from high-ranking Trump officials, including senior adviser Stephen Miller, who accused Mr Pretti of being a “would-be assassin”, sparking outrage from Mr Pretti’s family, top Democrats, members of the public and even some Republican politicians.
The US President said on Tuesday that he wants to "de-escalate" the situation in Minneapolis after talks with the Democratic mayor and state governor and called the killing of Mr Pretti "very unfortunate".
Mr Trump was departing the White House for a rally in Iowa when he was asked if he agreed with the characterisation of Mr Pretti as a “would-be assassin”.
He responded, "No. Not as a – no."
"Listen, you can't walk in with guns. You can't do that, but it's just a very unfortunate incident."
When addressing reporters later, he said, "Certainly, (Mr Pretti) shouldn't have been carrying a gun".
He added, "Look, bottom line, everybody in this room, we view that as a very unfortunate incident. Everyone, unless you're a stupid person."
Under the Second Amendment of the US Constitution, US citizens hold the right to carry a gun – a stance commonly defended by Republicans.
Since Mr Pretti’s death, it has been confirmed by local officials in Minnesota that he had a valid permit to carry a gun.
Trump told Fox News that he was going to "de-escalate" federal immigration operations in Minneapolis, but insisted this was "not a pullback but a change".
This came before an incident in which a man leapt towards Democratic Minnesota representative Ilhan Omar during a town hall and attempted to spray her with an unknown substance.
Ms Omar has previously been the target of campaigns from the Trump administration and has been vocal about his belief that ICE should be abolished. She did not appear to be injured and resumed speaking shortly after.
Kristi Noem, Homeland Security Secretary, also made headlines when she said that Mr Pretti “wasn’t there to peacefully protest. He was there to perpetuate violence.”
The comments have even led two Republican senators to break party lines and call for Ms Noem to resign.
Thom Tillis, Republican senator for North Carolina, told reporters on Capitol Hill: "No, not at all. I think she should go."
Mr Tillis said the secretary's actions showed "amateurish assistant-manager-sort of thought processes".
Lisa Murkowski, a Republican senator from Alaska, told NBC News, "Yes, she should go."
