Washington, DC — President Donald Trump said Thursday night that he has directed the mobilization of an additional 500 troops to help protect Washington, D.C., after two National Guard members were shot “at point-blank range” in what he described as an “ambush-style attack” near the White House.
In his address on the eve of Thanksgiving, Trump called the shooting “an act of evil” and “a crime against our entire nation,” and said the two service members were part of what he described as the “D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force,” which he claimed has produced an “unprecedented reduction” in crime in the capital.
Trump said the Department of Homeland Security was “confident” the suspect in custody is a foreign national who entered the United States from Afghanistan in September 2021 under the Biden administration, and said the suspect’s legal status was later extended under legislation signed by former President Joe Biden.
Trump argued the attack highlights what he called the nation’s “single greatest national security threat,” criticized immigration and vetting practices under the previous administration, and called for a review of Afghans who entered the U.S. under Biden-era programs.
He also thanked the Secret Service and the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department for their response, and asked Americans to pray for the two injured Guard members and their families.
Watch the Full address on the NMI News Service Facebook and YouTube.
