Trump blames Biden for DC National Guard shooting, calls it an 'act of terror'
“The hearts of all Americans tonight are with those two members of the West Virginia National Guard and their families…
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) November 27, 2025
We will make America totally safe again, and we will bring the perpetrator of this barbaric attack to swift and certain justice.” — President Trump pic.twitter.com/zOkJGZyGmk
PALM BEACH, FLORIDA: On Wednesday, November 26, two members of the National Guard in Washington, DC, were shot near the White House.
The attack triggered a wave of condemnation from President Donald Trump, who described the incident as a “crime against humanity” and an “act of terror.”
Donald Trump’s reaction and calls for immigration review
In response to the attack, Trump issued a statement, which he later shared on his social media.
He laid the blame for the tragic DC shooting on Joe Biden and the Democrats who threw the borders open and waved in unvetted barbarians without a second thought.
Emphasizing justice and accountability, he said, “As president of the United States, I am determined to ensure that the animal who perpetrated this atrocity pays the steepest possible price.”
He further declared, “I can report tonight that based on the best available information, the Departments of Homeland Security is confident that the suspect in custody is a foreigner, who entered our country from Afghanistan, a hellhole on Earth.”
Trump, highlighting what he called a major failure in immigration policy, stated, “He was flown in by the Biden administration in September 2021, one of those infamous flights that everybody was talking about.”
He claimed, “The last administration let in 20 million unknown foreigners from all over the world.”
He described the shooting as a “heinous assault” and condemned it as a “crime against humanity.”
Following the shooting, Trump called for a complete review of all Afghan refugees admitted under the Biden administration "We must now re-examine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden."
He added, “We must take all necessary measures to ensure the removal of any alien from any country who does not belong here or add benefit to our country.”
Shooting near the White House
The suspect was identified as a 29-year-old Afghan national named Rahmanullah Lakanwal.
After the gunfire, law enforcement and federal agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), responded swiftly, subduing the suspect.
The scene was cordoned off near the city’s Farragut West metro stop, with emergency crews quickly transporting the wounded guardsmen and the suspect to local hospitals.
Initially, there were conflicting reports about the severity of the injuries with early statements suggesting the guardsmen might have died, but it was later clarified that both were critically wounded and receiving treatment.
The suspect was also wounded and hospitalized. Authorities described the attack as “targeted.”
According to police, the suspect approached and opened fire on the soldiers as they patrolled. The shooting prompted a temporary lockdown of the White House area.
Federal, city, and local law enforcement agencies converged on the site, including the Secret Service, as helicopters hovered overhead and multiple emergency response teams arrived.
Prior to the shooting, the National Guard presence in Washington was part of a larger deployment ordered by Trump earlier this year, aimed at supporting federal and local law enforcement.
About 2,100 troops had been stationed in the city under a declared “crime emergency.”
