President Donald Trump on Wednesday evening delivered a presidential address focused on the shooting of two West Virginia National Guard service members in downtown Washington D.C.
The two soldiers were shot while conducting patrols less than a mile away from the White House shortly after 2 p.m. local time on Wednesday. FBI Director Kash Patel has stated that the soldiers were targeted by an Afghan illegal alien who entered the country during the Biden Administration’s withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
President Trump had addressed the shooting earlier in the night, when he was the first to announce that both victims were in “critical condition” and that the suspect was also wounded in the attack. He further vowed that the “animal” who carried out the attack would “pay a steep price.”
Earlier reports claimed that Trump had “called a lid” on the day and would address the attack while speaking with active duty troops on Thursday. This proved to be false, however, as the president released an address to the nation shortly after 10 p.m. Eastern Time.
“It was a crime against humanity. The hearts of all Americans tonight are with those two members of the West Virginia National Guard and their families. The love of our entire country is pouring out for them, and we are lifting them up in our prayers. As we are filled with anguish and grief for those who were shot, we’re also filled with righteous anger and ferocious resolve,” Trump said in the roughly five-minute address.
“As President of the United States, I am determined to ensure that the animal who perpetrated this atrocity pays the steepest possible price. I can report tonight that, based on the best available information, the Department of Homeland Security is confident that the suspect in custody is a foreigner who entered our country from Afghanistan, a hellhole on Earth,” the president continued.
Trump had harsh words for his predecessor, Joe Biden, whose administration allowed thousands of unvetted Afghan nationals to flood the United States during the chaotic withdrawal in 2021. “His status was extended under legislation signed by President Biden, a disastrous president, the worst in the history of our country. This attack underscores the single greatest national security threat facing our nation. The last administration let in 20 million unknown and unvetted foreigners from all over the world from places that you don’t want to even know about,” the president went on. “No country can tolerate such a risk to our very survival.”
He then referenced the numerous welfare scandals in Minnesota perpetuated by Somali “Americans” who were dumped on the American People by former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Federal law enforcement recently reported that some of the hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding stolen by Somali nationals was wired to Al Qaeda-linked jihadist groups like al-Shabab.
“We’re not going to put up with these kind of assaults on law and order by people who shouldn’t even be in our country. We must now reexamine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden, and 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,” Trump declared. “If they can’t love our country, we don’t want them.”
The commander in chief went on to confirm earlier comments from War Secretary Pete Hegseth by announcing that 500 additional National Guard soldiers would be deployed to the nation’s capital.
“During this time of the year, when we gather at home with loved ones, these two patriots were wearing the uniform of our country, patrolling the streets of our capital. They had taken a selfless oath to defend our nation against all enemies, foreign and domestic. And that is exactly what they were doing when they were gunned down in a savage attack,” Trump went on.
“I want to express my extraordinary gratitude to every member of the United States military who is deployed tonight at home and abroad. I also want to thank the Secret Service and the D .C. Metropolitan Police Department for their work today. This Thanksgiving, I ask every family to say a prayer for the two great heroes who were so horribly shot, and for their loved ones. Please, say a prayer. May God bless them and comfort them, and may God bless and protect the United States of America.”
The suspected gunman — who is not cooperating with authorities — later overstayed his visa.
As of this report, both soldiers remain hospitalized in critical condition. West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey earlier stated that both victims had succumbed to their wounds, though he later walked back that report, citing “conflicting information” received by his office.
The gunman reportedly came around a corner and fired a revolver at the unsuspecting soldiers in a targeted attack. Veteran reporter Julio Rosas reported that one National Guardsman, who was not carrying a firearm, pulled out a pocket knife and began to stab the attacker in the head while he was reloaded.
“Another Guardsman responded to the gunfire and shot the suspect multiple times,” Rosas reported, citing two senior D.C. law enforcement officials. He added that the suspect reportedly shouted “Alahu Akbar” while carrying out the attack.
