Trump gives garbled word salad when asked why ICE agent not arrested: 'What knows means'

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Trump gives garbled word salad when asked why ICE agent not arrested: 'What knows means'
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with members of the media aboard Air Force One en route from Florida to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., January 11, 2026. REUTERS/Nathan Howard

The ICE agent who shot and killed Renee Nicole Good in Minnesota is apparently protected from the law, President Donald Trump's administration has suggested. Trump, however, seems to have no idea what that means.

When asked Sunday after Vice President JD Vance's comment that the agent could not be prosecuted, Trump rattled out a nonsensical word salad that left reporters on Air Force One baffled, the Daily Beast reported.

Good, a 37-year-old Minnesota mother of three, was shot in the face by an ICE agent on Wednesday while attempting to drive away from an ICE protest. Vance responded by incorrectly claiming ICE officers enjoy "absolute immunity."

When a reporter asked what that meant, Trump responded: "Everyone's seen it. A woman who's very violent. She's a, you know, very radical person. Very sad what happened. Her friend was very radical."

When pressed again to define absolute immunity, Trump offered an even more garbled answer: "Well, I'm going to let the people define it. But immunity, you know what immunity, what knows means as well as I do."

Bodycam footage reveals that Good sat calmly behind the steering wheel, telling the ICE agent who would shoot her minutes later: "That's fine, dude, I'm not mad at you." ICE agents surrounded her SUV while Good's wife, Rebecca, filmed from outside. When ordered to exit her vehicle, Good attempted to drive away. An officer fired three shots into her head, shouting a vile slur as the vehicle traveled several feet before crashing into parked cars.

Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem claim Good was attempting to run over agents. Noem accused her of "domestic terrorism."

Video evidence demonstrated Good's tires were turned away from the officer.

Vice President JD Vance, a Yale Law School graduate, said the officer was "doing his job" and therefore protected by federal immunity. Legal experts have rejected this claim, noting that the Supreme Court granted absolute immunity only to the president for official acts, but that does not extend to other federal officials.

When asked whether deadly force was necessary, Trump deflected: "It was highly disrespectful of law enforcement. The woman and her friend were highly disrespectful of law enforcement. You saw that they were harassing them, were following for days and for hours. And I think frankly they're professional agitators."

This statement contrasts with Trump's pardon of over 1,500 defendants who attacked police officers during the January 6 Capitol riots.

According to Good's ex-husband, the couple had just dropped off their 6-year-old son at school when they encountered protesters disrupting an ICE raid and decided to stop and observe.

When the reporter attempted to ask whether disrespect justified killing a U.S. citizen, Trump interrupted: "I'd like to find out—and we are going to find out—who's paying for it."

The administration has repeatedly claimed that protesters are funded by mysterious radical organizations, despite the FBI's apparent inability to identify these groups.

Good's death has prompted nationwide protests, with thousands gathering at hundreds of anti-ICE rallies across the country.

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Legal expert rings Trump crusade's death knell after DOJ 'humiliated' once more

A legal expert made a damning prediction for the Department of Justice amid a losing crusade to access state records.

In a recent video posted by Democracy Docket, elections lawyer Marc Elias explained that the DOJ is 0-20 in its effort to sue for access to states' voter rolls. He predicted that the DOJ will be stifled in its attempt to gain sweeping access to voters' private data, including Social Security and driver's license numbers.

"I've seen enough," Elias said. "DOJ is getting humiliated. Ask yourself: when was the last time you ever heard that the Department of Justice lost 20 cases in a row in 20 different courts when 12 of the courts were with judges appointed by Republicans, and eight were appointed by Donald Trump?"

Elias bluntly predicted, "They aren't getting the data" they're seeking, even as the DOJ appeals its losses and has 10 more cases in which a judge could rule in its favor.

"Is it possible that in one of those 10 remaining cases a judge goes the other way? I suppose anything's possible. It's more likely that some of the judges may just not rule while these cases are up on appeal," Elias said. "But right now, I don't see a single one of these cases in which the Trump administration is likely to win."

Trump wants the states' voter roll data to create a national voter database, Elias explained. "Donald Trump wants to create this national voter database," and as a result, the DOJ is "desperately suing to get this information" and "trying to expedite appeals," Elias said.

However, "They've lost in the Sixth Circuit" Court of Appeals, while 16 cases are actively in other appeals courts. No decision has come down in the Trump DOJ's favor from those appeals courts, though, Elias noted.

"None of these cases have progressed to the U.S. Supreme Court," he added. "There are now more than 270 electoral votes covered by the states that have fought back and won...It kind of makes me smile."

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Ex-RNC chair flags warning sign Trump's 'delusion' is about to come crashing down

President Donald Trump has convinced himself he is on top of the world, former GOP chairman turned MS NOW host Michael Steele said on "The Briefing" Wednesday night.

But his power is actually crumbling around him, Steele said — and there are a few recent indicators driving that point home.

"If you listen to Donald Trump, you [might] think the man is just absolutely killing it right now," said Steele, playing a clip of Trump speaking about the Michigan Republican primary election results.

"You had a big election last night and a lot of people running. And I endorsed a lot of candidates," said Trump. "And the end result, I was 28 wins and one loss. It was a little bit of a person that I thought was a good person, didn't have much of a chance, but I said, I don't care. I'm doing it anyway. Good person, very good, very respected. But nobody knew who the person was."

To clarify, said Steele, the "one loss" he is talking about is a candidate who "was defeated handily by another candidate who literally dropped out of the race a few weeks ago. Thomas Smith beat Amir Hassan by a whopping 17 points. Again, Smith dropped out on July 16th, so our election board, the graphics didn't even have a headshot of the guy. You saw a blank head, and we weren't the only ones. So yeah, the man without the headshot beat the dude endorsed by Trump."

That isn't a one-off, though, said Steele — it conveys a real national dissatisfaction with the president.

"Trump isn't just delusional about a few elections. He's delusional about the most important issue in the minds of voters today," said Steele. For instance, per a new Marquette University poll, "72 percent of Americans think the economy is not doing well. 61 percent say Trump's policies have increased inflation, and another 60 percent say they do not trust Trump to make the right decisions for the country. And what does Donald Trump have to say about those numbers? Listen." He played another clip.

"I saw polls today on television," said Trump in the clip. "They say, Donald Trump polls on the economy. The economy is the greatest economy we've ever had by far. Isn't the economy good? They're fake polls, just like fake writers."

- YouTube youtu.be

Scandal-plagued Republican's abrupt exit has GOP analysts pulling their hair out: NYT

A Republican campaign has been left "scrambling" by the sudden departure of a scandal-plagued congressman, according to The New York Times.

North Carolina Republicans are stuck looking for a candidate who can replace Congressman Chuck Edwards, who dropped out of the race after a House Ethics Committee probe into allegations of harassing young female staffers, The New York Times reported. Edwards' campaign was already "spiraling" amid the allegations of misconduct, but local GOP chairs from North Carolina told The Times that they're in a tougher position now.

"There was already a lot of work to do," Jim Fulton, the Republican Party chair in Buncombe County, North Carolina, told The Times. "Now, there's a lot more."

Republicans in the 11th Congressional District are trying to beat Democratic candidate Jamie Ager after Edwards announced he was dropping out on Wednesday. According to The Times, the district has been "reliably red" for decades, but "Republicans are scrambling to find a candidate."

"I'm not sure who chooses to do this, and if they even have a shot at winning," Michele Woodhouse, a former GOP party chairwoman for the district, told The Times. "Which Republican is going to want to get in at this point? Can they win?"

According to The Times, several North Carolina legislators are considered possible replacements, but "no clear front-runner has emerged." Republicans involved in the process understand that "the road ahead would be steep," The Times added.

Edwards had $940,000 in his campaign coffers when he left, but Ager has been able to raise more than $3 million for his campaign, which leaves Republicans looking for a candidate with fundraising chops, The Times reported.

However, the candidate will have 12 weeks to campaign across a district that covers 16 mostly rural counties, The Times notes. Ager, the Democratic candidate, has "had over a year to meet the voters, to go out there and make his case," Grayson Barnette, Ager's campaign manager, said, noting the next Republican won't be able to do the same.

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