Defends Ashli Babbitt, saying there was "no reason" to shoot her
Trump issued a statement demanding to know the identity of the Capitol Police officer who shot Ashli Babbitt on January 6. He claimed there was "no reason" for the shooting, ignoring that Babbitt was part of a violent mob attempting to breach the Speaker's Lobby while officers were protecting lawmakers. The statement marked a shift toward openly embracing the insurrectionists as martyrs.
“Who shot Ashli Babbitt? There was no reason to shoot her.” — Statement on Ashli Babbitt
Analysis Feed
AI commentaryCreating a Martyr Trump's defense of Ashli Babbitt--shot while climbing through a broken window toward fleeing lawmakers--transformed a rioter killed while committing a federal crime into a MAGA martyr. He called her 'innocent' and demanded to know who shot her, endangering the officer who fired. Inverting the Narrative Babbitt was shot by a Capitol Police officer performing his duty to protect members of Congress. The shooting was ruled justified. But Trump's defense framed her as a victim--the violence done TO rioters, not BY them, became the injustice. The Revisionist Template This statement previewed the 'day of love' revisionism that would follow. If Babbitt was a martyr, the mob was peaceful. If the shooting was unjustified, the attack was harmless. Each claim inverted reality to make insurrectionists into heroes and law enforcement into villains.