Logo

Stay up to date with live coverage of the Trump administration and national politics Thursday as officials identified the two National Service members who were critically wounded in the suspected terror attack in Washington, DC on Wednesday.

Andrew Wolfe was identified as one oof the two National Guard members shot. The other National Guard member was identified as Sarah Beckstrom. Her father told The New York Times she was unlikely to make it.

“She has a mortal wound. It’s not going to be a recovery,” the father of Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, Gary Beckstrom, told the New York Times.

The gunman was identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who came to the US during the chaotic 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal, law enforcement sources told The Post. He applied for asylum in December 2024 and was approved in April.

Trump does not have any public events scheduled today. He traveled to Palm Beach, Florida for the rest of the week.

Follow live updates on President Trump and national politics for the latest news, analysis and more from Washington:

President Trump says he'll 'permanently pause migration' from all 'Third World Countries'

By Zoe Hussain

President Trump said late Thursday that he intends to "permanently pause" migration from all "Third World Countries," to allow the US to "fully recover" in a rambling Thanksgiving Truth Social post.

"Even as we have progressed technologically, Immigration Policy has eroded those gains and living conditions for many," Trump wrote late Thursday night.

"I will permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the U.S. system to fully recover, terminate all of the millions of Biden illegal admissions, including those signed by Sleepy Joe Biden’s Autopen, and remove anyone who is not a net asset to the United States," he added.

Trump also said he intends to end all federal benefits and subsidies for "noncitizens."

He will additionally "denaturalize migrants who undermine domestic tranquility, and deport any Foreign National who is a public charge, security risk, or non-compatible with Western Civilization," he wrote in the long post.

"Only REVERSE MIGRATION can fully cure this situation. Other than that, HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL, except those that hate, steal, murder, and destroy everything that America stands for — You won’t be here for long!" the post said.

Trump's comments came following a deadly ambush on two National Guard members near the White House on Wednesday, which investigators say was carried out by Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal.

Trump doesn’t rule out deporting alleged DC Guardswoman killer Rahmanullah Lakanwal’s family: ‘Looking at that right now’

By Anna Young

President Trump revealed Thursday that his administration has not ruled out deporting the family of the Afghan refugee accused of killing one National Guard soldier and wounding another in Washington, DC.

"Well, we're looking at that right now," the president told reporters Thursday when asked if he plans to deport the wife and children of 29-year-old terror suspect Rahmanullah Lakanwal.

"We're looking at the whole situation with family. It's a tragic situation."

Trump made the revelation after announcing that West Virginia National Guard soldier Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died as a result of the cowardly ambush.

Donald Trump
The president addressed the nation on the shooting during Thanksgiving. REUTERS

Lakanwal arrived in the US in 2021 after the chaotic US pullout from Afghanistan. He eventually resettled in Bellingham, Washington, with his wife and at least five children.

Lakanwal, who fought in Afghanistan and came into the US under the Biden-era Operation Allies Welcome program, allegedly opened fire and struck two National Guard troops just blocks away from the White House around 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday.

Beckstrom -- who was shot in the head and chest -- was patrolling the area with guardsman Andrew Wolfe, 24, when the barbaric attack unfolded.

A third guardsman rushed to the scene and took down Lakanwal, who was also left with gunshot wounds in the melee.

Lakanwal, who was taken to the hospital, is already facing at least three counts of assault with intent to kill and criminal possession of a weapon. Those counts carry up to 15 years behind bars. 

US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro previously announced plans to pursue first-degree murder charges against the terror suspect if one of the two soldiers died from their wounds.

Beckstrom was rushed into emergency surgery following the ambush and listed in critical condition, but her prognosis stayed grim until she ultimately died Thursday night.

"She's just passed away," Trump announced during a Thanksgiving evening call to half of a dozen military units to mark the holiday.

"She's no longer with us. She's looking down at us right now," a somber Trump said, calling Beckstrom and "incredible person, outstanding in every single way."

Attorney General Pam Bondi said federal prosecutors will pursue the death penalty against Lakanwal.

Trump spoke with slain National Guardswoman Sarah Beckstrom’s parents, White House says

By Ryan King

President Trump spoke with the parents of the West Virginia National Guard member who died Thursday after being shot by a suspected terrorist while serving in Washington, DC.

"The President spoke with Sarah Beckstrom’s parents this evening," a White House official said.

Beckstrom was 20 years old. Her father previously told the New York Times she suffered a "mortal wound."

Trump claims National Guard shooting suspect 'went cuckoo,' calls reporter 'a stupid person'

By Ryan King

President Trump claimed that the suspect behind the shooting of two National Guard troops in Washington, DC, "went cuckoo" and faulted poor vetting for letting him into the country during a fiery exchange with a reporter.

"He went cuckoo, he went nuts. And that happens too often with these people," Trump told a reporter who highlighted suspect Rahmanullah Lakanwal's ties to the CIA. "There was no vetting or anything. They came in unvetted."

President Trump claimed that the Afghan terror suspect behind the shooting of two National Guard troops near the White House "went cuckoo" and faulted poor vetting for letting him into the country. AFP via Getty Images

"And we have a lot of others in this country. We're going to get them out."

Lakanwal was allowed into the US under the Biden administration’s “Operation Allies Welcome” program in 2021. Trump then bristled when the reporter argued that the Afghan refugees accepted into the US had been vetted.

"Are you a stupid person?" Trump fired back when pressed. "Because they came in on a plane along with thousands of other people that shouldn't be here, and you're just asking questions because you're a stupid person."

READ MORE

Sarah Beckstrom, one of the National Guardsmen shot by Afghan terror suspect, dead at 20

By Katherine Donlevy

Sarah Beckstrom, one of the West Virginia National Guard members shot in a cowardly ambush by an Afghan refugee, has died.

President Trump announced the passing of the 20-year-old during a Thanksgiving evening address.

“She’s just passed away. She’s no longer with us. She’s looking down at us right now,” Trump said.

Sarah Beckstrom, one of the West Virginia National Guard members shot in a cowardly ambush by an Afghan refugee, has died.

Beckstrom had been listed in critical condition after being shot in the chest and the head.

READ MORE

Trump admin vows 'rigorous reexamination' of every Green Card holder from countries 'of concern'

By Ryan King

The Trump administration announced it will pursue a "full scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern."

US Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow claimed President Trump had requested the gargantuan review in the wake of the shooting of two National Guard troops in Washington, DC Wednesday afternoon.

President Trump reportedly make the directive.
President Trump reportedly make the directive. REUTERS

Suspect Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, had entered the US in 2021 from Afghanistan in the aftermath of the Biden administration's disastrous withdrawal.

"The protection of this country and of the American people remains paramount, and the American people will not bear the cost of the prior administration’s reckless resettlement policies. American safety is non negotiable," Edlow posted on X.

At the direction of @POTUS, I have directed a full scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern.

— USCIS Director Joseph B. Edlow (@USCISJoe) November 27, 2025

A spokesperson suggested the countries "of concern" include the 19 mentioned in Trump's June executive order to safeguard Americans from foreign terrorists: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.

Exclusive: Inside American Dream life of alleged DC National Guard terrorist — as neighbors reveal dramatic FBI raid

By Jared Downing and Anna Young

BELLINGHAM, Washington — The Afghan terrorist accused of shooting two National Guard troops had been living a seemingly quiet family life in a $2,000-a-month apartment in this idyllic Washington state town — where neighbors said the FBI busted into his home during a Wednesday raid.

Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, was often seen playing Call of Duty inside the bare apartment, which he shared with his wife, who wore a hijab, stunned neighbors in Bellingham told The Post on Thursday.

Headshot of Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national, suspect in the shooting of two National Guard members.
Headshot of Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national, suspect in the shooting of two National Guard members. REUTERS

Neighbors said the refugees — who arrived in 2021 after the US pullout from Afghanistan — had no beds, and there was only “some couch cushions they would sleep on” inside the sparse home.

READ MORE

DC National Guard terror suspect suffered mental problems from fighting for CIA-backed ‘Zero Unit’

By Alex Oliveira

The suspected Afghan terrorist accused of gunning down two National Guard troops just blocks from the White House struggled for years with the violence he committed as part of a CIA-backed “Zero Unit” force in his home country, according to a longtime friend.

“When he saw blood, bodies, and the wounded, he could not tolerate it,” said a childhood friend of 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal.

Rahmanullah Lakanwal struggled for years with the violence he committed as part of a CIA-backed “Zero Unit” force in his home country.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal struggled for years with the violence he committed as part of a CIA-backed “Zero Unit” force in his home country. AP

“It put a lot of pressure on his mind,” the friend told the New York Times.

READ MORE

National Guard member critically wounded in suspected terror attack unlikely to survive, dad says

By Alex Oliveira

The National Guardswoman gunned down by a suspected terrorist in Washington DC is not expected to survive, her devastated father revealed.

“She has a mortal wound. It’s not going to be a recovery,” the father of Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, Gary Beckstrom, told the New York Times.

Sarah Beckstrom seen with her father Gary. Facebook / Gary Beckstrom

Beckstrom seen in her graduation gown. Facebook / Sarah Beckstrom
Sarah Beckstrom was critically wounded in Wednesday's suspected terror attack.

“I’m holding her hand right now,” the devastated dad added.

The father declined to say anything more.

His 20-year-old daughter was shot in the head and chest just blocks from the White House around 2 p.m. Wednesday, when suspected terrorist Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, allegedly opened fire on her and another National Guardsman patrolling the area at her side.

Andrew Wolfe was also critically wounded in the shooting. REUTERS

Other National Guard member Andrew Wolfe was also critically wounded in the shooting near the White House.

Afghan DC terror ambush suspect ‘should have never been allowed to come here’: CIA chief

By Marisa Schultz and Priscilla DeGregory

The Afghan immigrant suspected of carrying out a terror ambush on two National Guards members in Washington, D.C. Wednesday “should never have been allowed to come here,” CIA Director John Ratcliffe said.

Rahmunullah Lakanwal, 29 – accused of shooting West Virginia National Guard members Sarah Beckstrom and Andrew Wolfe – was let into the country in 2021 under the Biden-Era Operation Allies Welcome. He applied for asylum in December 2024 and was approved in April.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe responds to the DC shooting. AP

Ratcliffe blasted the Biden administration’s “catastrophic failures” that he claimed allowed the accused gunman into the US.

READ MORE

Republican fears mount over Tennessee special election that could leave GOP House majority with zero-vote margin

By Ryan King

Republicans are growing increasingly anxious over a once sleepy special election in Tennessee District 7 next month in a district that President Trump comfortably won by 22 points last year.

While the congressional race has historically been a GOP shoo-in, Republicans are alarmed by a recent poll and fearful that an upset could see their majority in the House slip to a zero-vote margin.

“I’m very concerned about it. Of course, it’s an off-year election. It’s right after Thanksgiving. A lot of the Republicans are out of town. And I worry about them showing up on Election Day,” Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), who represents Tennessee’s District 2, which encompasses Knoxville, told The Post.

READ MORE

Trump unveils new DC renovation project to remove ‘Biden filth and incompetence’

By Kathleen Joyce

President Trump unveiled the next phase in his revitalization of the nation’s capital, aimed, he said, at erasing former President Joe Biden’s “filth and incompetence.”

“This is the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool before Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum and I fix it,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post Wednesday alongside a video set to Andrea Bocelli’s “Time to Say Goodbye.”

President Trump speaks on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2025. AP

“Study it hard because you won’t be seeing this Biden filth and incompetence much longer!” he wrote.

READ MORE

Comments
anonymous profile image
Powered by RoundtableBuilt on infrastructure designed for real-time media. Learn more at RTB.io.© Roundtable 2026. By using this site you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy