President Donald Trump shared his candid thoughts on the ongoing investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of Today show cohost Savannah Guthrie.
“Boy, it’s so crazy. It’s so bad,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One on Thursday, February 19, per footage that aired on Fox News.
Trump, 79, was critical of reporting that investigators may hope to locate Nancy by tracking her pacemaker. NewsNation first reported that investigators were deploying “signal sniffer” technology on Saturday, February 14.
“I didn’t like when they were talking about going after the pacemaker … even before they started going after it, they’re reporting it,” Trump said. “If, in fact, they could do it that way, the [potential suspect] would say, ‘Well, I’m not gonna let that happen,’ right? So bad things would happen if he’s not gonna let that happen. I can’t imagine why they would have done that, just in terms of strategy.”
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Trump added, “We have to start reporting on other subjects also and see what happens. It’s a very sad situation.”
Nancy, 84, was first reported missing from her home in the Catalina Foothills north of Tucson, Arizona, on February 1. She was last seen on the evening of January 31 when she was dropped off at home by her daughter Annie Guthrie, Savannah’s sister, following a family dinner. The police are investigating her disappearance as a kidnapping.
Trump previously said that Nancy’s suspected kidnappers would face would face “very, very severe — the most severe” federal consequences if Nancy is found dead.
In a Monday, February 16, interview with the New York Post, the president was asked whether the Department of Justice would seek the death penalty for those responsible. “The most, yeah — that’s true,” he responded.
Trump first shared his thoughts on Nancy’s disappearance during a press briefing on February 3.
“I think it’s terrible,” Trump told reporters inside the White House Oval Office.
“I’m gonna call her later on,” the president said of Nancy’s daughter Savannah, 54. “I think it’s a terrible thing. I always got along very good with Savannah. Very unusual situation, but we’re gonna find out.”
Trump confirmed he had called the Today show cohost in a Truth Social post on February 4.
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“I spoke with Savannah Guthrie, and let her know that I am directing ALL Federal Law Enforcement to be at the family’s, and Local Law Enforcement’s, complete disposal, IMMEDIATELY,” he wrote. “We are deploying all resources to get her mother home safely. The prayers of our Nation are with her and her family. GOD BLESS AND PROTECT NANCY!”
Last week, the FBI released surveillance camera footage and photos of a masked individual seen outside Nancy’s home on the night of her suspected abduction. Federal and local investigators are continuing to encourage the public to come forward with any relevant information that may help solve the case.
“The FBI’s National Threat Operations Center (NTOC) has received more than 19,000 tips related to the Nancy Guthrie case since February 1,” the FBI’s Phoenix office said in an X post on Thursday.
“Threat intake examiners are working 24/7 to answer calls coming into the 1-800-CALL-FBI tip line and review those submitted at http://tips.fbi.gov,” the post continued. “FBI reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to the location of Nancy Guthrie and/or the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in her disappearance.”
