President Donald Trump was asked this week whether he plans to attend the funeral of a West Virginia National Guard member killed in a Washington, D.C., shooting — but he responded by pivoting to his past election victory in the state.
On Thursday, Nov. 27, during his annual Thanksgiving call with U.S. service members, Trump announced that U.S. Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, had died and that her colleague, U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, both from West Virginia, was “fighting for his life,” according to PBS News.
Trump described Specialist Beckstrom as a “highly respected, young, magnificent person,” telling the troops, “She’s just passed away. She’s no longer with us. She’s looking down at us right now,” as reported by CNN.
A White House official said the president had spoken with Beckstrom’s family, according to The New York Times.
Beckstrom, who was from Summersville, W.Va., was killed in an ambush-style shooting on Thanksgiving eve just blocks from the White House. Authorities say the suspected gunman is an Afghan national who once worked with the CIA in Kabul.
Speaking to reporters at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach on Thanksgiving Day, Trump was asked whether he planned to attend Beckstrom’s funeral.
“I hadn’t thought about it yet, but it certainly is something I could conceive of,” he replied.
He then moved immediately to discuss his political success in the state, adding, “I love West Virginia. You know I won West Virginia by one of the biggest margins of any president anywhere.
“These are great people. I love the people of West Virginia. I love the people of our country,” Trump continued. “But I haven’t given it any thought, but it sounds like something I could do.”
At a press conference on Thursday, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said that Specialist Beckstrom and Sergeant Wolfe had been sworn in just 24 hours before the shooting, CNN reported.
The guardsmen, Pirro said, “were ambushed in a brazen and targeted attack,” according to CNN.
Specialist Beckstrom began her service on June 6, 2023, and was assigned to the 863rd Military Police Company, 111th Engineer Brigade of the West Virginia Army National Guard, The New York Times reported.
Sergeant Wolfe began his service on Feb. 5, 2019, and was assigned to the Force Support Squadron, 167th Airlift Wing of the West Virginia Air National Guard.
They were among more than 2,000 National Guard troops deployed to Washington, D.C., in August, in response to what Trump described as rampant crime in the nation’s capital. His decision to use the military has faced criticism from those who view the deployment as excessive and politically motivated, given the city’s long Democratic history.
National Guard troops have since been sent to other cities as well, including Chicago and Portland.
A federal judge ordered the D.C. deployment suspended last week, but the ruling was stayed for three weeks, according to The New York Times.
The suspect in the shooting has been identified as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national living in Washington state. Authorities say he drove from Washington state to the capital, where he allegedly shot the two guardsmen.
Lakanwal was initially charged with three counts of assault with intent to kill while armed and two counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. Pirro said Friday morning that those charges would be upgraded to first-degree murder following Specialist Beckstrom’s death.
In a statement, the White House said, “President Trump delivered his heartfelt condolences about Sarah Beckstrom’s tragic death that only happened because Joe Biden welcomed countless unvetted criminals into our country.”
The statement added, “President Trump cares deeply for the great people of West Virginia and especially for those serving our country.”
It is not yet clear whether Lakanwal has entered a plea or whether he has an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
