Trump says DC shooter was 'upset' by successful deployment of National Guards

PALM BEACH, FLORIDA: President Donald Trump on Thursday, November 27 offered a theory regarding the motive behind the shooting of two National Guard members near the White House on Wednesday.

The president suggested that the gunman was "upset" by the success of the National Guard's deployment in Washington, DC while he further praised the guard's efficacy in reducing crime, suggesting this success might have provoked the attack.

Trump's motive theory and crime claims

Speaking to media while participating in a video call with military service members from his Mar-a-Lago, the president said the effectiveness of the deployment itself might be the reason, as he added, "This was done because the national guard has been so effective and you went from having a tremendous amount of crime and death killing everything else to having none."

Trump maintained, "We've had very little crime," and speculated on the attacker's motivation: "And this happened I assume because it was so effective and maybe this man was upset because he couldn't, he couldn't practice crime-who knows what his motivation was-but what he did was horrible.”

This comes after administration officials earlier labeled the DC deployment, which included the now-deceased Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and critically injured Staff Sgt Andrew Wolfe, 24, a success.

Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has since announced the deployment of an additional 500 National Guard members to the capital in the aftermath of the incident.

Details of suspect who shot two National Guard members

The 29 year old Suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal of Washington state, is accused of carrying out the "ambush-style" attack on Beckstrom and Wolfe.

Tragically, Trump announced on Thursday evening that Beckstrom had died from her injuries, while Wolfe remains in critical condition.

Lakanwal, according to Attorney General of the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro, was an Afghan national who had allegedly driven across country before opening fire on the troops with a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver, and he was then wounded and apprehended by responding troops.

The 29-year-old came to the US in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome, after working with the US government in Afghanistan, including the CIA, according to CIA Director John Ratcliffe.

In April 2025, Lakanwal was granted asylum in the US under the Trump administration.

Investigation intensifies as FBI takes lead

The FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating potential motives for the attack, according to Reuters.

Furthermore, the FBI is now leading the investigation into the matter while Attorney General Pam Bondi said she will seek the death penalty for Lakanwal if he is convicted. Meanwhile, the date of arrival of the 500 additional troops to Washington remains unspecified.