President Donald Trump sharply rebuked a reporter who asked why he held President Joe Biden’s administration responsible for the recent shooting in Washington, D.C., responding, “Are you stupid?”
The incident in D.C. left two National Guard members critically injured. One of them, Sarah Beckstrom, has since died from her injuries. The suspect in custody, 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, entered the United States from Afghanistan in 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome.
The Biden administration’s program was created to evacuate and resettle tens of thousands of Afghans after the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan. Although Lakanwal applied for asylum during Biden’s term, his application was ultimately approved under the Trump administration, according to #AfghanEvac.
Trump’s exchange with the reporter
When pressed by a reporter on why he blamed the Biden administration for the shooting, Trump reacted angrily.
“Are you a stupid person?” he asked. “Because they came in on a plane along with thousands of other people who shouldn’t be here, and you’re just asking questions because you’re a stupid person,” Trump said.
He went on to claim that a law had been passed that prevented authorities from removing people once they had arrived in the country. Trump described the situation as a “mess,” insisting that those evacuated under the program “shouldn’t have come in” at all.
He further criticized the broader handling of Afghanistan, calling it “a mess” and saying, “It should have never taken place.”
Debate over Operation Allies Welcome
Supporters of the program have argued that there was extensive vetting and that it provided a crucial lifeline for Afghans who faced retaliation from the Taliban.
The initiative brought roughly 76,000 people to the United States, many of whom had worked alongside American troops and diplomats as interpreters, translators, or support staff. Critics, including Trump and other Republicans, have questioned the vetting process and raised concerns about the speed at which people were admitted.
Before coming to the U.S., Lakanwal had worked with the U.S. government, including the CIA, “as a member of a partner force in Kandahar,” according to a statement from John Ratcliffe, the intelligence agency’s director. A relative told the Associated Press that Lakanwal had been part of a CIA-backed unit within the Afghan army.
