Trump circulates false claim about Hortman killing; Democrats condemn post as ‘dangerous, depraved’
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President Donald Trump is recirculating a false claim about the assassination of Minnesota Democratic state Rep. Melissa Hortman last summer.
Trump’s post Saturday is the latest in his intense effort to politically damage Gov. Tim Walz. The post on the Truth Social site the president uses for all forms of political commentary shares an online video fanning conspiracy theories about what led up to Hortman’s killing in June. The post amplified by Trump suggests Walz had a role in the attack.
The former House speaker’s husband, Mark Hortman, was also killed, and the man accused in their deaths is also charged with the nonfatal shootings of state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, the same night.
The children of the Hortmans and Yvette Hoffman issued statements Sunday decrying the post and asking for it to be taken down.
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“I am asking President Trump to remove the video that he shared and apologize to me and my family for posting this misinformation and for using my mother's own words to dishonor her memory,” Collin Hortman said.
He and Sophie Hortman said the video twists the truth about their mother’s political stances and comes after the adult children spent their first holiday season without their parents.
“We must create a society in which we do not harbor hatred and violence toward our political opponents, and this video promotes a false narrative which fuels the flames of political division,” Sophie Hortman said.
Yvette Hoffman reacted to Trump’s post on Sunday morning, calling the president’s words “absolute bull—” and adding that “the leader of the free world is endangering families safety.”
Top Minnesota Democrats, including Walz, condemned the president’s post Saturday night.
“Dangerous, depraved behavior from the sitting president of the United States. In covering for an actual serial killer, he is going to get more innocent people killed. America is better than this,” Walz wrote on X.
Statements from other Democratic leaders said the posts dredge up emotional pain from the summer attacks that put many public officials on edge over a rise in political violence.
“Trump is degrading the Office of the President by engaging in an outrageous lie,” said U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum, a Democrat who represents a St. Paul-area district.
Minnesota House Democratic Leader Zack Stephenson reinforced in a written statement that Hortman and Walz were close allies and friends.
“Anyone who claims otherwise is lying,” Stephenson said. “Melissa Hortman didn’t have any patience for politicians who couldn’t speak the truth even when it was politically difficult. Minnesotans shouldn’t either. Any political leader in Minnesota who will not condemn his posts isn’t fit to hold office.”
Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy called the president’s post “soulless.”
“The man charged with killing Melissa and Mark Hortman, shooting John and Yvette Hoffman, and targeting dozens more Minnesota Democrats, was known to traffic in exactly the kind of conspiracy theory Donald Trump just endorsed,” Murphy said in a written statement. “Lying about the assassinations of the Hortmans puts people in danger and fans the flames of political violence.”
Vance Boelter is jailed awaiting trial on federal charges in the shootings. Prosecutors say he also visited the homes of other Democratic lawmakers. Authorities say he was carrying a list of politicians and other organization leaders who favored abortion rights. He has pleaded not guilty.
Some Republicans have criticized other social media posts making wild claims about Hortman’s killing. State Sen. Julia Coleman of Waconia told MPR News last week that she couldn’t sit idle while the posts spread.
“It’s wild, it’s tough times. But you have to say, if you are dishonoring them with these wild conspiracy theories, you’re disrespecting their families. But you’re also dishonoring the part of yourself that’s rational,” Coleman said.
Most other Republicans holding office in Minnesota or seeking higher office made no statements about the conspiracy theory promoted by Trump.
The posts about Hortman’s killing have been circulating for many months. But they have intensified as Trump and other Republicans ramp up their focus on Minnesota and attempt to weaken Walz, who is running for a third term.
Walz is facing political backlash over cases of fraud that have occurred during his tenure, including the Feeding Our Future nutrition aid scheme that has led to dozens of federal prosecutions.
