In a poignant plea amid the holiday season, the children of slain Minnesota state lawmaker Melissa Hortman have called on President Donald Trump to remove a social media video that amplifies baseless conspiracy theories about their mother's death. Colin and Sophie Hortman, grieving the loss of their parents, Melissa and Mark, urged the president in separate statements released on Sunday to take down the post from his Truth Social platform and apologize for spreading what they described as harmful misinformation.
The video in question, shared by Trump on Saturday, promotes unsubstantiated claims linking Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to the June shootings that killed Melissa Hortman, a prominent Democratic state representative, and her husband. Authorities have described the attacks as politically motivated, with Vance Boelter, a Minnesota resident, accused of carrying them out. Boelter faces federal murder charges after a massive manhunt—the largest in state history—that led to his arrest. He pleaded not guilty in August following his July indictment.
Melissa Hortman, who served as the Speaker of the Minnesota House, and her husband were fatally shot at their home in Brooklyn Park, a suburb of Minneapolis, on June 14. The same evening, state Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were wounded in a similar attack at their residence in Champlin, also near Minneapolis. The incidents sent shockwaves through the state, prompting heightened security for lawmakers and investigations into potential political motivations behind the violence.
According to the Hennepin County Attorney's Office and federal prosecutors, Boelter, 57, targeted the victims due to their roles in state government. Court documents detail how he allegedly planned the attacks meticulously, using a manifesto and other evidence recovered during the investigation. The manhunt involved hundreds of law enforcement officers scouring rural areas and urban centers across Minnesota, culminating in Boelter's capture after more than a week on the run.
The conspiracy-laden video shared by Trump appears to originate from another social media user, who in turn referenced yet another clip. It alleges ties between Walz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee in the 2024 election, and fraud in Minnesota's state programs as a motive for the murders. No evidence has emerged to support these claims, and law enforcement officials have repeatedly stated that the shootings were isolated acts of political violence, not connected to broader conspiracies involving the governor.
Governor Walz responded swiftly to Trump's post on Saturday, condemning it in stark terms. "This is dangerous, depraved behavior from the sitting president of the United States," Walz said in a statement. He added that the video could "get more innocent people killed" and emphasized, "America is better than this." Walz, who has been a target of online vitriol since his national profile rose during the 2024 campaign, highlighted the risks of amplifying falsehoods in an already polarized political climate.
Colin Hortman, Melissa's son, expressed deep personal anguish in his statement. "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," he wrote. The video reportedly twists footage or statements from Hortman's final legislative vote, a moment her son described as a sacred part of her legacy.
Sophie Hortman, the daughter, echoed her brother's sentiments while broadening the call for societal healing. "The video being shared by the president is another hurdle our family must overcome in grieving the loss of my parents, Mark and Melissa, and their beloved [dog] Gilbert," she stated. She described the content as "a painful, false twisting of my mother’s final vote" and urged, "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 also invoked the recent holidays, noting the family's first without their parents. "I ask President Trump to please consider the pain and sadness we have faced, and to honor the spirit of the holidays we have just spent without our parents by taking down the post on Truth Social," she wrote. The siblings' statements, released independently but in coordination, underscore the ongoing emotional toll of both the tragedy and the subsequent politicization of their loss.
The family of Senator John Hoffman, who survived the attack with his wife, issued a supportive statement on Sunday standing in solidarity with the Hortmans. "We ask President Trump to take down the post spreading conspiracy claims about their parents’ deaths," the Hoffmans said. They added that the claims "reflect the same hateful falsehoods that motivated violence and cause more harm."
This moment calls for responsibility and compassion. Removing the post would be a necessary step toward decency.
The Hoffman family's words highlight a shared plea from those directly affected by the shootings, emphasizing the need to curb narratives that could incite further division or danger.
The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the Hortman children's statements or inquiries about the rationale behind Trump's decision to share the video. As of Monday, the post remained online on Truth Social, Trump's social media platform launched in 2022 as an alternative to mainstream sites like Twitter, now known as X.
Trump's amplification of the video comes amid his administration's focus on allegations of fraud in Minnesota's state programs, which have gained traction in conservative circles in recent weeks. The Justice Department has been investigating such claims for several years, with one prominent case centering on the nonprofit Feeding Our Future. Since 2022, that probe has resulted in criminal charges against more than 70 individuals, including some members of Minnesota's Somali community, for allegedly defrauding federal child nutrition programs of millions of dollars during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prosecutors in the Feeding Our Future case have detailed a scheme involving fake meal sites and inflated claims, leading to convictions and ongoing trials. However, officials have stressed that these investigations are unrelated to the Hortman and Hoffman shootings. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, a Democrat, has publicly defended the state's oversight while acknowledging the need for accountability in public programs. "Fraud anywhere is a problem, but let's not let it overshadow the real issues of safety and justice," Ellison said in a recent interview.
The broader context of political violence in the U.S. has intensified scrutiny on social media's role in spreading misinformation. Following the June 14 attacks, Minnesota lawmakers from both parties called for bipartisan measures to protect public officials. Governor Walz signed emergency legislation increasing security funding for legislators, a move supported across the aisle. Yet, incidents like Trump's post illustrate ongoing challenges in bridging divides, especially as the 2026 midterm elections approach, with Minnesota's legislative seats up for grabs.
Experts in political rhetoric, such as those from the Brennan Center for Justice, have warned that conspiracy theories can escalate real-world threats. "When leaders share unverified claims, it normalizes danger," said one analyst, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the topic. In Minnesota, where Democratic control of the state government has been a flashpoint, such narratives risk deepening rifts in a battleground state that played a key role in the 2024 presidential race.
As the Hortman and Hoffman families continue to heal, their calls for removal of the video resonate beyond personal grief, touching on national debates about truth, responsibility, and the limits of free speech in the digital age. Whether Trump complies remains uncertain, but the incident has reignited discussions on platforms' content moderation policies and the accountability of public figures. For now, the pleas from Brooklyn Park and Champlin serve as a reminder of the human cost when politics turns violent.
Sarah Mitchell, The Appleton Times