Garry Kasparov has delivered a stark warning to the United States, drawing parallels between Donald Trump’s methods for maintaining power and those of Vladimir Putin.

The renowned Russian chess grandmaster gained international recognition in the 1990s for his legendary matches against IBM’s supercomputer Deep Blue. Kasparov, known for his vocal opposition to the Russian regime, even briefly ran against Putin in 2008.

Following his arrest and beating by police in 2012, Kasparov declared that “fascism has come to Russia” and subsequently relocated to the United States in 2013.

Now 62, Kasparov has increasingly turned his criticism towards Trump’s political maneuvers, previously cautioning during the 2016 campaign that the then-Republican candidate exhibited “authoritarian tendencies.”

Kasparov’s criticism of Trump has intensified in the wake of the recent fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent during a targeted operation on Saturday.

The chess icon has suggested that both the incident and the Trump administration’s swift defense of it are indicative of the president employing tactics reminiscent of the government he fled in Russia.

He wrote on X: ‘Trying to predict the outrages of autocrats is hopeless because their superpower is to generate constant shocks to dominate the environment.’

Kasparov described events in Minneapolis, Minnesota as ‘method, not madness’, adding: ‘Trump wants violence, to radicalize & divide, to create pretext for crackdowns.’

Garry Kasparov has issued a startling warning to America, comparing Donald Trump’s tactics for keeping power to those of Vladimir Putin

The chess legend has long expressed criticisms of Trump’s politics, previously claiming he had ‘authoritarian tendencies’

He has been an outspoken critic of the regime in his homeland for years, briefly running against Putin in 2008

Saturday’s fatal shooting has prompted outrage from Americans who have denounced it as excessive force being carried out by untrained federal officers. The Trump administration, however, says it was a case of an armed man provoking violence.

It comes just weeks after the January 7 killing of 37-year-old Renee Good, who was shot by an ICE officer less than a mile away. 

Expanding on his comparison of Presidents Trump and Putin, Kasparov said: ‘First, to claim only he can solve the crisis (that he is creating), a typical formula. Chaos & violence push people toward a “law and order” strongman. 

‘Also, as the midterms approach, the grounds must be prepared for interfering with the democratic process for “security” reasons.

‘Having lived through a similar, nationwide version of this in Trump’s model, Putin’s Russia, it’s not easy to fight against. And Trump and many of his gang have passed the point at which they feel they can afford to lose power, even in Congress. It’s a perilous moment.

‘The normal person‘s aversion to conflict is not something autocrats have, and they exploit that. Trump is building ICE in his image & it is primarily a political weapon. There will be violence, likely fatalities, with local law enforcement to try to force everyone to pick a side. 

‘What’s happening in Minneapolis will play out in more well-chosen districts and swing states. More violence, more shootings, banning rallies, criminalizing opposition. Even if the overall public sentiment toward ICE is negative, the sense of chaos often benefits the strongman.’ 

The chess champion’s criticisms of the administration did not stop there. He argued that Trump and his allies are willing to take increasingly drastic action in order to hold on to power in the States. 

Alex Pretti, 37, was shot dead by a Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis on Saturday during a targeted immigration enforcement operation

Pretti was pepper-sprayed and shot down by federal agents during the incident on Saturday

Quoting an article he wrote for The Atlantic in February 2025, he added: ‘These are not the acts of people who expect to lose power any time soon, or ever. They are racing to the point where they will not be able to afford to lose control of the mechanisms they are ripping up and remaking in their image. 

‘What such people will do when they believe that mounting a coup is the lesser risk to their fortunes and power cannot be predicted.’

He compared ICE to Rosgvardia – Russia’s national guard – claiming the body is ‘encouraged to violate the law, then told they’ll be punished only if MAGA [Trump or his allies] loses power’.

On Sunday, Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem continued the administration’s staunch defence of the Pretti shooting by claiming officers ‘clearly feared for their lives’ and fired defensive shots at the victim after he ‘violently’ resisted.

Federal authorities claimed the intensive care unit nurse was carrying a loaded Sig Sauer P320 9mm pistol, but video captured at the scene appears to show officers disarming him before shots rang out.

Fox News senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy probed Noem about the protocol of using deadly force on an unarmed person, but she seemingly dismissed his question.

‘That’s all part of this investigation. Every video will be analyzed. Everything will be looked at,’ she said during an appearance on The Sunday Briefing.

‘Part of the answer is that I can’t speak to every single thing that those officers thought but this happened in seconds. They clearly feared for their lives and took action to defend themselves and the people around them.’

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem dodged crucial questions about the fatal shooting, including if he had been disarmed before a Border Patrol agent killed him

Kasparov said he found the administration’s rapid defence of the shooting as concerning as the incident itself.

‘Even if you can imagine mitigating factors in the killing itself, from “doing his job” to a terrible mistake, the Trump admin’s immediate and total defense of it and blanket of lies are damning,’ he wrote on X. 

‘It’s the standard authoritarian response, unquestioning loyalty above all.’

Towards the end of his epic 24-hour social media warning, he added: ‘Are these the actions of a regime that believes they have any chance of losing power?’

For years the most famous grandmaster in the world, Kasparov has transitioned into an impassioned defender of democracy and critic of authoritarian regimes across the world.

Having set up the United Civil Front movement and becoming a member of The Other Russia coalition opposing Putin, Kasparov was forced to withdraw from the 2008 presidential battle thanks to logistical issues which he blamed on ‘official obstruction’.

His political career has seen him take on the role of chairman of the Human Rights Foundation between 2011 and 2014.

Kasparov then founded the Renew Democracy Initiative in 2017, a body which aims to promote liberal democracy around the world, and also established the World Liberty Congress.

Pretti, 37, could be seen on the street filming with his phone while a small group confronts a federal agent. His other hand appeared to be empty 

The chess star often evokes his experiences back in Russia when defending the values of freedom and democracy, two qualities of America which attracted Kasparov to the States but have recently been eroded, in his view.

In defending the actions of ICE officers this weekend, Noem, a MAGA Republican, also pointed to a bystander video in which someone yelled out ‘gun, gun, gun’ and claimed the federal officers ‘reacted to that’.

But she failed to acknowledge that it is unclear if the remark heard on camera was made in reference to Pretti’s alleged weapon or a federal agent’s gun.

Noem previously claimed that Pretti, an intensive care nurse who has protested President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, showed up on Saturday to ‘impede a law enforcement operation.’

The DHS Secretary has questioned why Pretti was armed but did not offer details about whether he drew the weapon or brandished it at officers.

Noem also previously blamed two of Minnesota’s most senior Democrat lawmakers – Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey – for the shooting.

‘Our law enforcement are doing everything they can to protect the public. We’re praying for the deceased’s loved ones, family, and friends, but we also recognize that the Minnesota and the Minneapolis governor need to take a long hard look in the mirror,’ she said during a press conference on Saturday.

‘They need to evaluate their rhetoric, their conversations, and their encouragement of such violence against our citizens and law enforcement officers.’

Federal authorities claim the intensive care unit nurse was carrying this loaded Sig Sauer P320 9mm pistol

Minneapolis police say Pretti had no serious criminal history and was a lawful gun owner with a valid permit.

After Pretti was disarmed, videos do not clearly show where the first shot came from but one gun expert has said he believes Pretti’s Sig Sauer P320 went off in the hands of an agent, prompting another agent to open fire.

Multiple bystander videos show a Border Patrol agent shooting and killing Pretti after a roughly 30-second scuffle around 9am Saturday.

The videos appear to contradict statements by the DHS, which said the shots were fired ‘defensively’ against Pretti as he ‘approached’ them with a gun.

In the videos, Pretti is seen with only a phone in his hand. None of the footage appears to show him with a weapon.

During the scuffle, agents discovered that he was carrying a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun, and they opened fire with several shots.

Federal officials have not released the agent’s identity, but did confirm the officer who shot Pretti is an eight-year Border Patrol veteran.