Thomas Paine famously wrote, "These are the times that try men's souls," when writing about the American Revolution. One could say that every week of Donald Trump's second administration has been such a time for much of the country.
One of the most important questions of the moment is: Was the ICE agent who shot Renee Good guilty of excessive use of force or murder, or was he acting in self-defense because Good was attempting to run him over, as claimed by the Trump administration? Local police and other Minneapolis authorities dispute the government's version of the events.
There are several videos of the incident, none of which support the government's version of what happened. As is frequently the case, Trump news/speak is fake news. Here is what the videos show:
- The Honda driven by Renee Good was stopped crosswise in the street.
- One ICE agent arrives at the scene. While he is walking around the car, 2 other ICE agents approach the car and tell her to get out of the car, using an expletive, and one tries to open the door.
- The Honda backs up a few feet.
- The Honda starts moving forward and turns to the right.
- The first ICE agent, who is now at the front of the car, says, "Whoa."
- As the car passes the agent, he fires 3 shots at point blank range, 1 through the windshield and 2 through the open driver's side window, and calls her a "F***ing B*****." One video shows clearly that when he fired the first shot through the windshield, the car was passing him, not coming towards him.
- The Honda crashes into a parked car.
This all happened in 20 seconds.
The videos make clear that Renee Good was not attempting to run the ICE agent over, but was attempting to get out of the scene. (If that had been the case, had she not turned to the right, he would have been run over.)
Department of Justice policy states that police can use a gun only when they feel their life or the lives of others are in imminent danger. They cannot use a gun merely to stop someone from fleeing the site.
Even though she had no intent to run him over, things happened so quickly that the agent will try to argue that he felt his life was in danger. But the fact that even when he took the first shot, the car was already passing him belies that assertion. And the fact that he kept shooting as the car moved past him and clearly was no longer in danger would argue that the shooting had nothing to do with self-defense and was just an excessive, improper use of deadly force.
Also, why didn't he just shoot the tires of the car to stop her? Why did he choose to shoot her at point-blank range 3 times? This was not some tyro with a rifle but a person with combat experience and years of experience with guns.
That the government is still claiming self-defense and not allowing the local police to be involved in the investigation is emblematic of the administration's practice of controlling and distorting facts. They have no interest in the truth; they just want a justification for their actions.
Most recently, Trump has indicated that the fact that Renee Good spoke disrespectfully to the ICE agents was grounds enough for the shooting. This runs counter to all established policy on the use of deadly force by police.
Regardless of your view of illegal immigrants, Trump's deportation policies, and the man himself, all Americans should be outraged by the excessive use of force by quasi-military personnel against American citizens as well as illegal immigrants and Trump's defense of their ignoring our "right to life and liberty." This is not an isolated incident but a pattern of disrespect that we have seen frequently in the aggressive actions of ICE, even towards a Congressman.
Americans should show that outrage through massive peaceful demonstrations. Yes, several thousand showed up at a protest in New York City, but the number should have been much more—hundreds of thousands.
This is not a minor matter. It is reminiscent of several of the abuses of power cited by the Founders in writing the Declaration of Independence:
- "He has sent swarms of officers to harass our people."
- "He has, in times of peace, sent Standing Armies among us without the consent of our legislatures."
- "He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power."
These offenses are in addition to all the other things Trump has done that are destroying American democracy, the structure that the Founders designed to ensure that in the United States, no one person would ever be able to abuse his power as the British king had done. To prevent such abuse, including failing to respect the legislative process and making the judiciary dependent on his will, the Founders established America's distinctive balance of power with 3 independent branches: legislative, executive, and judicial—each responsible for reigning in any excesses of the others.
Every American who values the freedom and rights that our democracy has provided us should rise up and peacefully demonstrate. Not a voice should remain still. Jefferson believed strongly that we had to protect our rights: "The time to guard against corruption and tyranny, is before they shall have gotten hold of us."
Why are massive demonstrations important? First, they let you and others feel that your voice is being heard. This is of critical importance in a democracy. Second, it lets the silent majority of people who are either concerned or questioning about this issue see that there are massive numbers of fellow citizens who are concerned and are raising their voices.
Another thing people can do to increase engagement with this issue is to reach out to religious and other organizations in your community and encourage them to offer programs on this topic. Also, go to your local school board and encourage them to address this issue through school programs. Let your representatives in Congress know how you feel.
Finally, Trump was elected fairly by a majority of the American voters. But he has abused and expanded the power that the Constitution gives the President. In our system, the way to free ourselves from Donald Trump is through the ballot box and through our voices.
There are elections this November that will determine whether Republicans or Democrats control the House and the Senate. If Democrats regain control of Congress, that will restore the balance of power the Founders sought to ensure, as the current Republican-controlled Congress has almost entirely deferred to Trump's demands.
If we do not protect our rights, there is a distinct possibility, given the current political dynamic, that we will lose them.
Ronald L. Hirsch is a teacher, legal aid lawyer, survey researcher, nonprofit executive, consultant, composer, author, and volunteer. He is a graduate of Brown University and the University of Chicago Law School and the author of We Still Hold These Truths. Read more of his writing at www.PreservingAmericanValues.com
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks with U.S. President Donald Trump during a Cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House on May 27, 2026 in Washington, D.C. Trump met with his Cabinet days after saying a peace deal with Iran was“ largely negotiated” amid expectations around the re-opening the Strait of Hormuz.
The worst deal in the history of deals
As a former Republican, sometimes it’s fun to look back on the things we — I was part of a “we” at one time — criticized Democrats for, and not all that long ago.
Remember, if you will, when Republicans condemned former President Bill Clinton for pardoning his brother and his corrupt donor friend Marc Rich?
Or, remember when Republicans wagged their fingers at former President Barack Obama’s golf outings? Or his executive orders? Or his Syrian “red line”?
Or all the times Republicans went after former President Joe Biden’s gaffes?
While those criticisms may have been justified at the time, they look patently ridiculous next to our current president’s cartoonish and downright dangerous offenses.
Offenses like pardoning Jan. 6 insurrectionists — nearly 100 of whom have gone on to be arrested for, charged with, or convicted of crimes separate from the events of that day.
Or wreaking havoc on the global economy by instituting reckless tariffs on friends, neighbors, and enemies alike?
Or taking a proverbial sledge hammer to countless government agencies that have put every American in danger, whether on airplanes, in hospitals, at job sites, or in natural disasters.
That’s just a few, but nothing looks worse next to his predecessors than Donald Trump’s supposed Iran deal, at least as it’s outlined in the Memorandum of Understanding, the details of which Trump was loath to share.
And for good reason — they are shockingly bad and humiliating for the U.S.
I remember Obama’s Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA from 2015 very well. I, along with many Republicans as well as a cadre of foreign policy experts, criticized that deal for its obvious and problematic concessions to a very bad actor who we’ve long known could not be trusted. But trust was what we gave the Iranian regime, as well as sudden access to a boatload of cash — $100 billion, to be exact.
All of Obama’s provisions were temporary, which would allow Iran to restart enriching uranium upon their sunset; the deal didn’t address Iran’s ballistic missiles, or its funding of terrorist proxies like Hezbollah and Hamas; the supposed “anytime, anywhere” inspections came with a 24-day delay, if Iran so chose, giving them ample time to hide any suspect materials; and it didn’t require any congressional authority.
In short, I’d argue it wasn’t a great deal. But as bad as it was, it looks like the Magna Carta next to Trump’s.
Trump’s deal would give Iran immediate sanction relief and access to $300 billion, presumably to use to fund terror proxies; it doesn’t secure any upfront limits on uranium enrichment or missile development; it allows Iran to charge for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz in the future; and it calls for Israel to stop its attacks on Hezbollah, another win for Iran.
Neither Americans nor the Middle East are safer than we were 100-plus days ago when Trump decided to pursue this folly. And in fact, our economy is weaker for it. But Iran is unquestionably stronger and more emboldened.
They’ve seen Trump’s weakness, unseriousness, and frighteningly limited appreciation for history. They’ve seen him retreat on most of his core threats to the regime, from bombing their cultural sites to ending a civilization overnight. And they’ve taken notice as he’s abandoned the promises that were supposedly central to his justification for war in the first place — regime change, liberating the Iranian people, and removing Iran’s nuclear materials.
What a waste of blood and treasure, not to mention American might and power, only so that our enemies can watch us limp desperately toward a conclusion that’s being described — by the right — as “unthinkable,” “appeasement,” and “the worst foreign policy blunder in decades.”
S.E. Cupp is the host of "S.E. Cupp Unfiltered" on CNN.