Updated Feb. 19, 2026, 7:49 p.m. ET
President Donald Trump is encouraging the press to report on other subjects as law enforcement continues its search for “Today” anchor Savannah Guthrie‘s missing mother.
The president commented on the ongoing investigation into Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance. The 84-year-old mother of three was last seen on Jan. 31 in her home in Tucson, Arizona, in a case that has garnered national attention.
“Boy, it’s so crazy. It’s so bad,” Trump told reporters Feb. 19 ahead of a speech in Rome, Georgia, about 70 miles northwest of Atlanta. “We have to start reporting on other subjects also and see what happens. It’s a very sad situation.”
Trump also commented on Nancy Guthrie’s pacemaker, which the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said Feb. 17 that authorities were working to locate. Investigators are working with the pacemaker’s manufacturer and other experts in the field to assist in those efforts.
“I didn’t like when they were talking about they’re going after the pacemaker. Before they even started going after it, they’re coming and reporting it. If, in fact, they could do it that way, the person would say, ‘Well, I’m not gonna let that happen,’ right? So bad things would happen and he’s not going to let that happen,” Trump said.
The White House declined to clarify Trump’s remarks about Guthrie’s pacemaker.
Guthrie’s pacemaker app disconnected from her phone at 2:28 a.m on Feb. 1, soon after the doorbell camera in front of her home disconnected at 1:47 a.m., and a person was spotted on camera at 2:12 a.m., according to the sheriff’s department.
Since her disappearance, her family has stressed that their elderly mother’s health is fragile and that she needs certain medications.
Trump told the New York Post on Feb. 16 that he wants those responsible for Guthrie’s kidnapping to face “very, very severe — the most severe” federal penalties. The outlet reported that he confirmed that the Department of Justice would request the death penalty.
The FBI has described the suspect, shown in doorbell camera footage at Guthrie’s front door released on Feb. 10, as a “male, approximately 5’9”-5’10” tall, with an average build.”
The sheriff’s office said investigators are continuing to analyze biological evidence found at Guthrie’s home after previously saying that DNA was found that could potentially belong to the suspect.
The combined reward for information leading to Guthrie’s location or the arrest and conviction of anyone responsible is over $200,000, including a $100,000 reward from the FBI and $102,500 by local authorities.
