The recent move by U.S. President Donald Trump to re-share a false claim about the killing of Minnesota Democratic State Rep. Melissa Hortman has reignited fears about political disinformation, abuse of presidential platforms, and how conspiracy theories are proliferating in U.S. politics.
There have been sharp criticisms from families of the victims and from both the Democratic leadership and a handful of Republicans over the move.
Why did Trump resurface conspiracy theories about a political assassination?
The Saturday posting by Donald Trump through his Truth Social account involved the redistribution of an online clip that contains conspiracy theories relating to the murder of Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, back in June. This online clip suggests that Minnesota Governor Tim Walz had some involvement with the murder. This speculation was brought forth to the political platform through the posting.
The piece is part of an escalating continuum of Trump actions attacking Walz politically, as he is now running for his third term as governor. It is seen that Trump’s readiness to spread misinformation regarding an attack, especially one that is deadly, is part of his design to use tragedies to his advantage politically.
What actually happened in the Hortman and Hoffman shootings?
Melissa and her husband, a former speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives, had been shot and killed this past summer in what is believed to be a targeted attack. The perpetrator, a man named Vance Boelter, is accused of shooting and failing to kill Democratic State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, the same evening.
Prosecutors say Boelter called on the homes of more than a few Democratic legislators and had a list of politicians and leaders of organizations in favor of abortion rights. Boelter pleaded not guilty to the charges and is currently in jail awaiting a federal trial. The alleged perpetrator dabbled in conspiracy theories, concurring kinds of which Trump’s post seemed to condone.
How have the victims’ families responded to Trump’s claims?
The children of Melissa and Mark Hortman, along with Yvette Hoffman, issued emotional statements condemning Trump’s post and urging its removal. They described the content as both false and deeply harmful, particularly given that it reused Melissa Hortman’s own words in a misleading context.
“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,”
said Collin Hortman.
His sister, Sophie Hortman, warned that the video promotes a fabricated narrative that inflames political division at a time when their family is still grieving its first holiday season without their parents.
“We must create a society in which we do not harbor hatred and violence toward our political opponents,”
she said.
Yvette Hoffman was even more blunt, calling the president’s post “absolute bull—” and accusing Trump of endangering families by spreading reckless misinformation from the highest office in the country.
Are Democratic leaders warning of broader consequences?
Top Minnesota Democrats reacted swiftly, framing Trump’s actions not merely as offensive but as dangerous. Governor Tim Walz condemned the post as “depraved behavior” from a sitting president and accused Trump of covering for a serial killer by validating the conspiratorial worldview that motivated the violence.
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.
— Tim Walz (@Tim_Walz) January 4, 2026
America is better than this. https://t.co/sgkP0jwNn2
Other Democratic officials echoed that warning, arguing that Trump’s rhetoric reopens wounds from the attacks and increases fear among public officials already on edge amid rising political violence nationwide.
U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum said the president was “degrading the Office of the President by engaging in an outrageous lie,” while Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy described the post as “soulless,” stressing that lies about political assassinations put real people at risk.
What does Trump’s post mean for political norms and public safety?
Minnesota House Democratic leader Zack Stephenson was quick to point out that Hortman and Walz were good allies and that any suggestion otherwise was an obvious lie. Stephenson stated that leaders who fail to denounce Trump’s post would be unsuited for public office.
Leaders from the Democratic Party have also emphasized that “the suspect accused in these shootings had a reputation for indulging in, as well as disseminating, conspiracy theories.” Through spreading these kinds of theories, Trump is essentially tapping into the “ideology that led to these tragic events.”
Where are Republicans in condemning the conspiracy theories?
Although most Minnesota Republicans have been silent on the situation, a few members have come forward. “I felt the impulse to speak out against the conspiracy theories being perpetrated in the name of people who deserved respect and honor,” Minnesota State Sen. Julia Coleman said.
“You’re disrespecting their families,” Coleman added, suggesting that such allegations undermine even rudimentary common sense and civic stewardship. Nevertheless, the fact that there has been little overall Republican censure has provoked criticism, as Trump and other Republicans continue to target Minnesota as part of their plan to undermine Walz politically.
Is the controversy tied to wider political battles in Minnesota?
The revival of conspiracy theories about the circumstances around Hortman’s killing also coincides with Walz getting politically hammered over fraud cases on his watch, including the Feeding Our Future nutrition aid scheme that has led to dozens of federal prosecutions. Analysts point out that the Trump post fits in to a broader effort to discredit Walz by any means necessary, even if that means exploiting a deadly attack.
To critics, the strategy blurs the line between aggressive political opposition and the wholesale erosion of truth that in some cases can have lethal consequences.
What does this episode reveal about the state of U.S. politics?
This dilemma highlights an increasing concern over the use of social networking sites by political leaders as tools to avoid accountability and spread misinformation. Posting an assassination conspiracy theory-linking video for many onlookers may well represent an intensification by Donald Trump that favors his political attacks over public safety issues.
As the families of the victims call for basic decency and restraint, the scene begs the question of just how low political discourse in this country can sink before the words are likely to lead to violent actions again.
