Donald Trump has spoken about Melissa Hortman in a few different, highly controversial ways over time, mostly after her murder in 2025 and in later political fights over that tragedy.

Quick Scoop: Core Things He Said

  • He initially called her killing a “terrible shooting” and condemned the attack after she and her husband were murdered in Minnesota in June 2025.
  • In a later interview, when a reporter asked about her, he replied that he was “not familiar” and said “Who?”, which drew a lot of backlash for sounding dismissive of a murdered lawmaker.
  • More recently, he has been criticized for reposting a video and messages pushing conspiracy theories about her assassination, suggesting links to Gov. Tim Walz and Minnesota fraud scandals, something state officials and her family call false and dangerous.

How His Comments Evolved

Right after the murder (June 2025)

After Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark were shot and killed in their home in what authorities described as a politically motivated attack, Trump publicly condemned the violence and referred to it as a “terrible shooting.”

He framed it as part of a broader breakdown in safety and political order, fitting it into his usual “law and order” talking points rather than focusing deeply on her personally.

“Not familiar. Who?” moment

Months later, when asked by media about Melissa Hortman and how he had handled honoring her after her death, Trump responded that he was “not familiar” with her and said “Who?”

He also said he would have lowered the American flag in her honor if Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz had specifically asked him to do so, which critics saw as cold and transactional toward a murdered official.

The Flag-Lowering and Respect Controversy

  • Trump said he hadn’t lowered flags for her because no formal request came from Gov. Walz, adding that he would have done it if asked.
  • Democratic lawmakers and many commentators argued a president should not need to be prompted to show respect for a slain state leader, especially one who had been a speaker of the Minnesota House.
  • Some of Hortman’s allies pointed out that he had never even said her name publicly until much later, which they saw as disrespectful.

Conspiracy Video and Backlash (Late 2025–Early 2026)

In early 2026, Trump reposted a video on his social platform that promoted conspiracy theories about Hortman’s murder, insinuating that Gov. Tim Walz or Minnesota “fraud” scandals were somehow behind her assassination.

Law enforcement and multiple fact‑checks say there is no evidence for these claims; the suspect charged is a right‑wing, anti‑abortion extremist who allegedly targeted several Democratic officials.

Because of that repost:

  • Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz called Trump’s post “dangerous” and “depraved,” warning it could incite more violence.
  • Top Democrats in the state described it as “soulless” and “outrageous lies” that weaponize a family’s grief for political gain.
  • Hortman’s children publicly asked Trump to take down the video and apologize, saying he was spreading misinformation and misusing their mother’s words in a way that deepened their pain.

How People Are Talking About It Online

Forum and social media discussions about “what did Trump say about Melissa Hortman” focus on a few key themes:

  1. Disrespect and indifference
    • Many users highlight the “I’m not familiar. Who?” quote as emblematic of his style: dismissive even when discussing a murdered public servant.
  1. Politicizing a killing
    • Others are more upset about the conspiracy‑theory video, arguing he is exploiting her death to attack political opponents and feed distrust in elections and state programs.
  1. Supporters’ view
    • Some of his supporters frame his remarks as being about “asking tough questions,” or say he’s just skeptical of official narratives and highlighting wider issues of government fraud, not personally attacking Hortman.
  1. Family’s perspective
    • Her children and close allies stress that she was killed by a radicalized extremist and that tying her death to unrelated fraud stories dishonors her memory and endangers others.

TL;DR: Trump first condemned Melissa Hortman’s murder as a terrible shooting, later said he was “not familiar” with her and would only have lowered flags if asked, and most recently has been blasted for reposting conspiracy content implying political plots around her assassination—something her family, Minnesota officials, and fact‑checkers all reject as false and harmful.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.