Trump condemns DC shooting, blames ‘disastrous’ Biden over refugee program

Donald Trump condemned the shooting of two National Guard members, labelling it an “act of terror.”

Donald Trump condemned the shooting of two West Virginia National Guard members in Washington, DC, on Wednesday. In a national address from Palm Beach, Florida, the president said it was “an act of terror” and “a crime against our entire nation.” An Afghan national named Rahmanullah Lakanwal was identified as the suspect, per Associated Press. The 29-year-old was allowed into the United States under the Operation Allies Welcome program.

Police officers secure the area with crime scene tape after a shooting in downtown Washington, DC, on November 26, 2025. Two members of the National Guard were shot Wednesday just blocks from the White House, according to officials, as a spokesperson for Donald Trump said the president has been briefed on the "tragic situation." Police said they had detained a suspect (AFP)

Trump slams Biden over 2021 refugee program

During his address, Trump slammed Joe Biden as a “disastrous president” whose administration “let in 20 million unknown and unvetted foreigners from all over the world.” “This attack underscores the single greatest national security threat facing our nation,” he added.

“He was flown in by the Biden administration in September 2021 on those infamous flights that everybody was talking about,” Trump said of Lakanwal, calling Afghanistan “a hellhole on Earth.” “His status was extended under legislation signed by President Biden, a disastrous president, the worst in the history of our country.”

According to The New York Post, the Operation Allies Welcome program provided immigration processing and resettlement support to 90,000 Afghans. It made them eligible for Special Immigration Visas.

Lakanwal allegedly overstayed his visa, sources told the outlet, adding that the suspect was illegally residing in the country at the time of the possible terror attack in DC. A relative of the suspect told NBC that Lakanwal has a wife and five sons, adding that he served alongside US Special Forces troops in Afghanistan before entering the US.

In his address, Trump pledged to “re-examine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden,” and take “all necessary measures to ensure the removal of any alien from any country who does not belong here.” “If they can’t love our country, we don’t want them.”