President Trump Unaware of Minnesota House Speaker's Assassination

During a briefing in the Oval Office on Monday, President Donald Trump was asked why he did not order flags to be lowered to half-staff to honor Melissa Hortman, the Democratic Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives, who was assassinated alongside her husband this summer. Trump responded that he was "not familiar" with the case.

When pressed further, Trump indicated that he would have considered lowering the flags if Minnesota Governor Tim Walz had requested it. "If the governor had asked me to do that, I would have done that," Trump said. He added, "I wouldn't have thought of that, but I would've, if somebody had asked me."

The exchange occurred in light of the president's recent order to lower flags following the killing of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk. This has led to questions about the administration's consistency in honoring victims of political violence.

Hortman and her husband were fatally shot in their Brooklyn Park home on June 14, 2025. The suspect, Vance Luther Boelter, was apprehended after a manhunt and is believed to have targeted Hortman in a politically motivated attack.

The president's comments have drawn attention to the administration's response to acts of political violence and the criteria for national mourning honors.