White House Official Statement On DC Guard Shooting: Trump Calls It 'Barbaric'

US President Donald Trump addressed the bloody shooting of two National Guard soldiers near the White House on Wednesday, calling the incident 'an act of evil, an act of hatred and an act of terror.'

In a short video address released Wednesday night, the president cited information from the Department of Homeland Security, saying that the gunman is a foreigner who entered the US from Afghanistan in September 2021.

'He was flown in by the Biden administration in September 2021, on those infamous flights that everybody was talking about,' Trump stated.

He further blamed former President Joe Biden for the gunman's stay in the country.

'His status was extended under legislation signed by President Biden, a disastrous president, the worst in the history of our country,' Trump stated.

The president added that the shooting 'underscores the single greatest national security threat facing our nation.' He also said that the US, 'must now reexamine every single alien from Afghanistan who has entered our country 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.'

Vance Spoke to the Troops

Vice President JD Vance also released a statement about the devastating gunfire as he addressed the troops at Fort Campbell in Kentucky on Wednesday, where he was spending time to serve meals to the soldiers and their loved ones before Thanksgiving.

According to Vance, the intention of the gunman is still undetermined.

'It's a somber reminder that soldiers, whether they're active duty reserve or National Guard, our soldiers are the sword and the shield of the United States of America,' the vice president stated. 'And as a person who goes into work every single day in that building and knows that there are a lot of people who wear the uniform of the United States Army, let me just say very personally thank them for what they're doing.'

Facts About the Gunman

Trump did not identify the name of the suspect, but the BBC cited law enforcement sources claiming that the alleged gunman is 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal from Afghanistan.

ABC News reported that Lakanwal allegedly applied for asylum in the US in 2024, which was granted in April this year under the Trump administration.

The president vowed to make the gunman pay for what he did to the National Guard soldiers.

'The animal that shot the two National Guardsmen, with both being critically wounded, and now in two separate hospitals, is also severely wounded, but regardless, will pay a very steep price.'

The Shooting Incident

The National Guard members who were injured during the shooting were a man and a woman from West Virginia.

According to MPD Executive Assistant Chief Jeffery Carroll, the lone shooter fired from the corner near Washington, DC's Farragut West Metro station around 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday.

Other National Guard members immediately responded to the shooting to help subdue the suspect.

'They heard the gunfire and they actually were able to intervene and to hold down the suspect after he had been shot on the ground,' Carroll stated.

The shooter was also injured during the gunfire and was rushed to the hospital. He was allegedly in critical condition.