When speaking with reporters on Monday, President Donald Trump evaded responsibility for failing to order flags lowered earlier this year after the killing of Minnesota State Rep. Melissa Hortman.
Instead, he blamed Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz for not asking him to do so.
“Well, if the governor had asked me to do that, I would have done that,” Trump claimed during a White House press event. “The governor of Minnesota didn’t ask me.”
Trump’s comments come after he’s been scrutinized for having different responses to the killings of Hortman and conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Following Kirk’s assassination last week, Trump directed flags to be flown at half-staff until Sept. 14 as a mark of respect. He did not ask for the same after Hortman, a Democrat, was assassinated earlier in June.
“I wouldn’t have thought of that. But I would have if somebody had asked me,” Trump stated on Monday while discussing his rationale. “Had the governor of Minnesota asked me to do that, I would have done that gladly.”
