Donald Trump strongly condemned an "act of terror" and promised to toughen immigration policies after a shooting targeted two National Guard troops in Washington on Wednesday. The two soldiers remain in critical condition , according to the latest reports.

Context of the Attack and Trump's Reactions

In a video statement broadcast from Florida, where he was celebrating Thanksgiving, the US president confirmed that the arrested suspect was a man who came from Afghanistan in 2021 .

"The suspect arrested is a foreigner who entered our country from Afghanistan" and who "was brought here by the Biden administration in September 2021," said Donald Trump.

The Republican president immediately used the incident to attack his predecessor, Joe Biden, promising to "re-examine" all Afghan individuals who arrived in the United States during his administration. He called immigration "the greatest threat to national security," blaming Democrats for allowing "millions" of foreigners into the country.

Earlier, on his Truth Social network, Trump had described the perpetrator of the attack as an "animal" who would "pay dearly" for his actions, specifying that the two soldiers and the alleged shooter were all "severely injured" .

The Facts of the Attack

The shootings took place in broad daylight in the center of the US capital, an office district located two blocks from the White House. The area has been patrolled since August by hundreds of National Guard reservists, deployed at the request of Donald Trump, despite opposition from local Democratic officials.

According to Jeffery Carroll, Washington's police chief, around 2:15 p.m., "a suspect arrived at the street corner, raised his firearm, and fired at National Guardsmen" who were on patrol. Other guards intervened to "subdue and arrest him."

Washington's Democratic mayor, Muriel Bowser, insisted that "the shots were targeted."

Confusion Surrounding the Status of Victims

Confusion reigned for a time regarding the fate of the two soldiers, who were from West Virginia. The governor of that state, Patrick Morrisey, initially announced their deaths on X, before retracting the statement and citing "conflicting information" .

FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed on camera that the two servicemen were in critical condition . Washington police stated they were unaware of any motive at this stage of the investigation.

Political Tensions and Deployment

This attack is the worst suffered by the National Guard since its deployment in recent months to Democratic-run cities, at the president's initiative. The White House accused the Democratic opposition of "demonizing" the troops by criticizing their presence, a move that local authorities consider an overreach of federal power.

In an already highly tense political climate, marked by further political violence (including the assassination of an ultra-conservative influencer and the 2024 assassination attempt against Donald Trump), Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the deployment of 500 additional troops to Washington. This brings the total number of soldiers deployed in the capital to over 2,500, despite last week's court ruling in favor of the City of Washington's request for the National Guard to be withdrawn.