‘Not a nation that brutalises, guns down citizens in street’: Joe Biden on Minneapolis violence

The Democrat said Minnesotans protesting the federal government’s immigration crackdown have “reminded us what it is to be American, and they have suffered enough at the hands of this Administration.”

“The people of Minnesota have stood strong — helping community members in unimaginable circumstances, speaking out against injustice when they see it, and holding our government accountable to the people. Minnesotans have reminded us all what it is to be American, and they have suffered enough at the hands of this Administration,” he said.

“Violence and terror have no place in the United States of America, especially when it’s our own government targeting American citizens,” he added.

Biden, who left office in January 2025, did not name his successor, Donald Trump by name, but said not even the President can destroy what America stands for if people stand up and speak out.

“No single person can destroy what America stands for and believes in, not even a President, if we — all of America — stand up and speak out. We know who we are. It’s time to show the world. More importantly, it’s time to show ourselves,” he said.

Condemning the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, Biden said justice requires full, fair, and transparent investigations.

What has unfolded in Minneapolis this past month betrays our most basic values as Americans. We are not a nation that guns down our citizens in the street. We are not a nation that allows our citizens to be brutalized for exercising their constitutional rights. We are not a…

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) January 27, 2026

It is unusual for former US presidents to publicly comment or criticise their successors. But on Sunday, two former US Presidents, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, both Democrats, had spoken out following the fatal shooting of Pretti.

Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama called Pretti’s death a “heartbreaking tragedy” in a statement.

“It should also be a wake-up call to every American, regardless of party, that many of our core values as a nation are increasingly under assault,” the Obamas wrote.

They also criticized the “unprecedented tactics” the Department of Homeland Security has employed, saying “people across the country have been rightly outraged by the spectacle of masked ICE recruits and other federal agents acting with impunity and engaging in tactics that seem designed to intimidate, harass, provoke and endanger the residents of a major American city.”

The killing of Alex Pretti is a heartbreaking tragedy. It should also be a wake-up call to every American, regardless of party, that many of our core values as a nation are increasingly under assault. pic.twitter.com/0JmEsJ1QFW

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) January 25, 2026

Clinton called the scenes in Minneapolis “horrible.”

“Over the course of a lifetime, we face only a few moments where the decisions we make and the actions we take will shape our history for years to come. This is one of them,” he said in a statement.