Donald Trump Jr blasts WSJ editorial board as 'RINOs' for defending Afghan refugees amid DC attack

WASHINGTON, DC: Donald Trump Jr strongly criticized the editorial board of The Wall Street Journal as "RINOs" for speaking out against his father's proposed "collective punishment" on Afghan refugees after the fatal ambush on National Guard troops in Washington, DC on Wednesday.

The Journal’s editorial drew criticism after it wrote that blaming all Afghan allies for the actions of one man would undermine American credibility and security in future foreign conflicts.

Donald Trump Jr's outburst on The Wall Street Journal

The president's 47-year-old son, Donald Trump Jr, took to X to express his outrage over the editorial on Friday, November 28, labeling the board members as "RINOs," meaning "Republican In Name Only."

Don Jr criticized the paper's editorial board for valuing migrants more than American security.

"Give me a f***ing break," he wrote, adding that "The RINOs at the Wall Street Journal Editorial Board want us to be flooded with millions of America hating migrants who don't share our values."

He further added, "This is a good reminder that it's not just Democrats responsible for this - It's the globalist RINOs too," meaning the blame should not be placed on the Democratic Party alone regarding the migration policy.

The Wall Street Journal's stance on Trump’s proposed ‘collective punishment’

The editorial that drew the first son’s fury was an op-ed in the Rupert Murdoch-owned newspaper titled “The Ambush on the National Guard” and published Thursday afternoon.

The editorial board wrote, “The alleged shooting by an Afghan ‘partner’ shouldn’t condemn all who assisted the US and now live here.”

The article stressed that abandoning allies in war was a dangerous move, writing that denying asylum to all refugees would ultimately hurt the US in future conflicts.

"Some will say this means the US should never admit such refugees, but the alternative is abandoning allies who assist Americans in war to the retribution of our enemies," the board noted, asking, "How many will assist us if they believe there will be no exit for them if the US leaves with the enemy triumphant?"

The Journal concluded, “Tens of thousands are building new lives here in peace and are contributing to their communities. They shouldn’t be blamed for the violent act of one man. Collective punishment of all Afghans in the US won’t make America safer and it might embitter more against the United States.”

Trump responds to DC attack with 'permanent pause' and security reviews

The catalyst for the debate was the fatal ambush of two National Guard members in Washington, DC National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom who died in Wednesday's attack, while her colleague, Andrew Wolfe remains in critical condition.

The suspect was identified as 29 year old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a former member of the Afghan army who had worked with US Special Forces.

He initially came to the United States in 2021 under President Joe Biden’s “Operation Allies Welcome” initiative and was granted asylum during the current Trump administration in April 2025.

In the aftermath of the incident, President Trump, on the platform Truth Social, announced a “permanent pause” on immigration from “all Third World Countries” and called for a “review” of all green card recipients from 19 "countries of concern," including Afghanistan.

The administration has also halted immigration processing for Afghan nationals and ordered a reassessment of asylum and green card approvals from countries US agencies flag as security risks.

Trump vowed to "deport any Foreign National who is a public charge, security risk, or non-compatible with Western Civilization" in his post.

He concluded, "Only REVERSE MIGRATION can fully cure this situation." The review will be undertaken, the director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services, Joseph Edlow, confirmed on Thursday.