WATCH: Trump Torches Reporter Over Query On Afghan Immigrants: ‘Are You A Stupid Person?’
President Donald Trump had harsh words for a reporter who asked him why he blames his predecessor, Joe Biden, for letting thousands of Afghan nationals into the United States.
The interaction came when the president was discussing Wednesday’s shooting of two West Virginia National Guard soldiers in the nation’s capital. Trump had just announced that Sarah Beckstrom, 20, had succumbed to her wounds after fighting for her life over the past 36 hours.
The president went on to urge prayers for the second soldier wounded in the attack, 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe, as he remains hospitalized in critical condition as of this report.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the alleged killer, entered the country following the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021 under the Biden Administration. He was able to gain access to the country about a month later through “Operation Allies Welcome.”
According to CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Lakanwal had a prior relationship with various entities in the U.S. government, including the CIA, while working as a member of a partner force in Kandahar.
29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal (left) has been identified as the alleged attacker
Trump spoke at length about the dangers posed by mass immigration — legal and illegal — throughout Thursday’s remarks.
“The suspect in custody is a foreigner who entered our country from Afghanistan, a hell hole on Earth. He was flown in by the Biden administration in September 2021. This attack underscores the single greatest national security threat facing our nation,” the president said.
“The last administration let in 20 million unknown and unvetted foreigners from all over the world from places that you don’t want to even know about. No country can tolerate such a risk to our very survival. We must now re-examine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden, and we must take all necessary measures to ensure the removal of any alien from any country who does not belong here or add benefit to our country. If they can’t love our country we don’t want them.”
While later taking questions from reporters, Trump was asked why he was blaming former President Biden for allowing the attacker in. “Because they let him in. Are you stupid? Are you a stupid person? 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,” the president immediately shot back.
“And there’s a law passed that it’s almost impossible not to get him out. You can’t get him out once they come in. And they came in, and they were unvetted. They were unchecked. There were many of them. And they came in on big planes, and it was disgraceful. And if you look, you’ll see there was a law passed. It makes it almost impossible not to let them in, not to certify them, so to speak, once they come in. And they came in, and they shouldn’t have come in. And, frankly, the whole thing was a mess. The whole Afghanistan situation was a mess. We shouldn’t — it should have never taken place.”
Not long after delivering his remarks, the president announced that his administration would be taking significant steps to halt and reverse all immigration from “third-world countries.” The announcement marks a significant shift to focusing on “legal” immigrants who express disdain for America and its values.