US President Trump meets mother of murdered American citizen at White House

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump met with Patty Morin, the mother of Rachel Morin, an American citizen brutally murdered by an illegal immigrant in 2023, at the Oval Office on Wednesday (US local time).

Praising her resilient spirit, Trump told Morin, “She’s a beautiful woman, she’s been through hell”. He added, “Your daughter’s looking down, proud of you, just keep it going”. The sombre meeting was shared by the White House in a video post on X. In the post, the administration contrasted Morin’s visit with the actions of Senator Chris Van Hollen.

“While Sen. Chris Van Hollen tried to coddle an MS-13 alien in El Salvador, Angel Mom Patty Morin stood in the Oval Office with President Trump–fighting for her daughter, raped and murdered by an MS-13 alien from El Salvador”, the White House stated.

While Sen. Chris Van Hollen tried to coddle an MS-13 alien in El Salvador, Angel Mom Patty Morin stood in the Oval Office with President Trump—fighting for her daughter, raped and murdered by an MS-13 alien from El Salvador. pic.twitter.com/60RuRs7XDI

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 16, 2025

Patty Morin earlier delivered an emotional and heartbreaking account of her daughter’s murder during a White House press briefing on Wednesday (US local time). Rachel Morin was raped and killed along a hiking trail in Bel Air, Maryland, in August 2023. According to authorities, the convicted killer, Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, was a fugitive from El Salvador and an illegal immigrant.

“There wasn’t one inch of her body that didn’t have some kind of injury, whether it’s bruising, broken bones, contusions, or scratches. She had a fractured rib, fractured nose, and fractured skull,” Patty said, her voice filled with grief.

President Trump acknowledged her during the Easter Prayer Service and Dinner held at the White House, where he referred to her as an “Angel Mom”. “We’re all with you, a hundred per cent. You are indeed an angel Mom,” Trump said.

If you missed today’s briefing, please take a moment to watch all of it.

We are grateful to Patty Morin for sharing her daughter’s story. pic.twitter.com/fsahMN2kiS

— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) April 16, 2025

While at the White House Press Briefing, Patty Morin went on to share that the images of the violence her daughter endured were so disturbing that they had to be sealed to prevent her granddaughters from seeing them.

“These are the kind of criminals President Trump wants to remove from our country. These are the kind of criminals that we need to remove from our country. We are American citizens. Why should we allow people like these — violent criminals, that have no conscience at all — to murder our mothers, our sisters, our daughters? I don’t understand why there’s even any kind of problem with this,” Patty Morin said.

When Patty shared the horrors her daughter faced, the White House briefing room fell silent. It was a somber moment, and when the floor was opened for questions, no one asked anything. The room was filled with a heavy sense of reflection as the gravity of Pattyr’s testimony left everyone in attendance deeply moved.

Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, a fugitive from El Salvador, was convicted on Monday in the case, as reported by CNN. Rachel Morin was killed along a hiking trail in Bel Air in August of 2023, according to authorities. (ANI)