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The White House has been thrown into crisis mode after President Donald Trump directly contradicted claims made by his very own vice-president. Seemingly softening his team's stance on the killing of Alex Pretti, the US president said he does not think the 37-year-old was "an assassin".

The Minneapolis resident was fatally shot in his home city by federal agents on Saturday January 24. Pretti's death sparked local protests and public outcry across the country, and led to stark criticism from lawmakers in both parties. In the immediate aftermath, Stephen Miller, a long-serving aide to the US president, labelled Pretti an "assassin" who tried to "murder federal agents".

JD Vance later reposted Miller's claim. Whilst Kristi Noem, US homeland security secretary, accused Pretti of engaging in "domestic terrorism" and suggested the ICU nurse had brandished his weapon at Border Patrol agents during an altercation.

Eyewitnesses and local officials, however, have challenged that account, saying he had a phone in his hand, not a weapon.

When quizzed about Vance's comment during a briefing, press secretary Karoline Leavitt stressed that Trump hadn't used such words. She added that she had "not heard the president characterize" Pretti as a domestic terrorist.

And now Trump and The White House appear to be retreating amid a growing number of Republicans calling for a deeper investigation into Pretti's killing.

Yesterday, January 28, Trump answered questions from reporters, he said Pretti, was "not an assassin".

Asked by reporters about whether he agreed with characterisations of Pretti as a "domestic terrorist," Trump said: "I haven't heard that."

He then added: "That being said, you can't have guns, you can't walk in with guns... it's a very unfortunate incident."

Despite largely staying out of the spotlight Melania Trump,on Tuesday, appealed for "peace" and "unity" in Minneapolis.

The clear fractures on the issue comes as Trump's approval ratings hit a historic low ahead of mid-term elections that could spell the beginning of the end for his presidency.

Over the past couple of months, Trump has stressed the importance of the Republican Party maintaining control in the House of Representatives and the Senate in order to minimise opposition to his policy agenda.