On the eve of Thanksgiving, President Donald Trump delivered an address to the nation’s military, providing updates on the tragic terrorist attack that occurred near the White House. This incident has left two members of the West Virginia National Guard critically injured and fighting for their lives.

Though succinct, President Trump’s speech was packed with crucial updates and instructions. He began by clearly addressing the severity of the situation.

President Trump did not hesitate to underscore the gravity of the attack, emphasizing that it was not only an assault on the military but on the entire nation.

In his address, President Trump assured the public that the attacker would face the “steepest price” for targeting federal officers. He also verified that the suspect had entered the United States under former President Joe Biden’s humanitarian initiative, which was implemented following the deadly withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. This program permitted certain Afghan individuals, labeled as “allies,” to enter the country temporarily for their safety.

My great fellow Americans. Earlier today, on the eve of the Thanksgiving holiday, two members of the National Guard serving in Washington, D.C. were shot at point-blank range in a monstrous, ambush-stye attack just steps away from the White House.

They’d been deputized as part of the most successful public safety and national security mission in the history of our nation’s Capitol. The D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force, which has achieved an unprecedented reduction in violent crime and crimes of all types.  

President Trump did not mince words concerning the nature of this terrorist attack, saying it was not just our military that was assaulted, but our entire nation.

This heinous assault was an act of evil, an act of hatred, and an act of terror. It was a crime against our entire nation. It was a crime against humanity. The hearts of all Americans tonight are with those two members of the West Virginia National Guard and their families. The love of our entire country is pouring out for them, and we are lifting them up in our prayers.

President Trump confirmed reports that the perpetrator will pay “the steepest price” for his assault on federal officers. He also confirmed that the suspect was brought in under former President Joe Biden’s humanitarian program after the deadly 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal, where supposed Afghan “allies” were allowed to enter the country for a period of time, allegedly for their safety. 

‘We Will Never Back Down’: Hegseth Sending Hundreds More NG Troops to DC After Terrorist Attack

As we are filled with anguish and grief for those who were shot, we’re also filled with righteous anger and ferocious resolve. As President of the United States, I am determined to ensure that the animal that perpetrated this atrocity pays the steepest possible price.

I can report tonight that based on the best available information, the Department of Homeland Security is confident that the suspect in custody is a foreigner who entered our country from Afghanistan, a hellhole on earth. He was flown in by the Biden administration in September 2021, on those infamous flights that everyone was talking about. Nobody knew who was coming in, nobody knew anything about it. His status was extended under legislation signed by President Biden. A disastrous president, the worst in the history of our country. 

President Trump strongly outlined the price America and Americans continue to pay as a result of Biden’s open border policies, and brought it home to the current fraud and criminality being perpetrated by the Minnesota Somali community.

This attack underscores the single, greatest national security threat facing our nation. 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 a risk to our very survival.

An example is Minnesota, where hundreds of thousands of Somalians are ripping off our country and ripping apart that once great state. Billions of dollars are lost, and gangs of Somalians come from a country that doesn’t even have a government. No laws, no water, no military, no nothing. As their representatives in our country preach to us about our Constitution and how our country is no good.

President Trump affirmed his resolve to end this madness caused by the Biden administration, to re-examine Biden’s Afghan refugee program, and to continue to take all necessary means to remove illegal aliens and aliens whose aim is to subvert or defraud America and its citizens.

We’re not going to put up with these kind of assaults on law and order by people who shouldn’t even be in our country. 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.

America will never bend and never yield in the face of terror. And at the same time we will not be deterred from the mission the service members were so nobly fulfilling.

Trump also confirmed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s words earlier on Wednesday that he had been directed by the president to deploy an additional 500 troops to Washington, D.C.

That is why tonight I can announce that I have directed the Department of War to mobilize an additional 500 troops to help protect our Capitol city. We will make America totally safe again and we will bring the perpetrator of this barbaric attack to swift and certain justice, if the bullets going in the opposite direction haven’t already done that. 

The president rounded out his speech, giving honor to the lives and service of the two wounded National Guard members and their heroic acts. Trump expressed gratitude for our armed services, Secret Service, and D.C. Metro Police. Trump ended his remarks with a request for all families to pray for the wounded National Guardsmen and their families. 

During this time of the year when we gather at home with loved ones, these two Patriots were wearing the uniform of our country, patrolling the streets of our Capitol. They had taken a selfless oath to defend our nation against all enemies foreign and domestic, and that is exactly what they were doing when they were gunned down in a savage attack. 

I want to express my extraordinary gratitude to every member of the United States military who is deployed tonight, at home and abroad. I also want to thank the Secret Service and the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department for their work today.

This Thanksgiving, I ask every family to say a prayer for the two great heroes who were so horribly shot and for their loved ones. Please, say a prayer.

May God bless them, and comfort them, and may bless and protect the United States of America. Thank you, and good night.

The President’s full address is here.

WATCH:

WATCH IN FULL: President Donald J. Trump addresses the nation following the horrific terror attack on National Guardsmen in Washington, D.C. pic.twitter.com/5g6xpAYqVw

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) November 27, 2025

On a related note, this announcement came in moments after Trump addressed the nation:

Effective immediately, processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals is stopped indefinitely pending further review of security and vetting protocols.

The protection and safety of our homeland and of the American people remains our singular focus and…

— USCIS (@USCIS) November 27, 2025