Trump Lashes Out at Reporter: ‘You’re a Stupid Person’

President Trump sharply criticized a female reporter on Thursday after she questioned his remarks about the vetting of an Afghan national suspected of shooting two National Guardsmen in Washington, DC. The exchange began when the reporter noted that, according to U.S. officials, the suspect had worked closely with the CIA in Afghanistan for years and that his background checks had shown no issues. Trump dismissed that assessment, saying, “He went cuckoo. I mean, he went nuts. It happens too often with these people.”

“There was no vetting or anything,” Trump said. “They came in unvetted, and we have a lot of others in this country, and we’re going to get them out.”

The reporter then pointed to a Justice Department inspector general report stating that Afghans brought to the U.S. were thoroughly vetted by the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI. She pressed Trump on why he was blaming the Biden administration for the suspect’s actions if the vetting had occurred.

Trump responded angrily: “Because they let them in. Are you stupid? Are you a stupid person? 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.” He went on to condemn the process that allowed the suspect into the country, calling it “disgraceful” and claiming that a law had made it “almost impossible” to remove individuals once they were admitted.

The suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, arrived in the U.S. in September 2021. He applied for asylum in December 2024, and it was approved in April of this year.

Trump also said his administration was considering deporting the suspect’s wife and five children. When asked whether he was blaming all Afghan nationals, he replied, “No, but there’s a lot of problems with Afghans.” He further criticized the Biden administration’s handling of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, calling it a “mess” and saying he would have approached it differently.

The press conference came shortly after Trump announced the death of 20-year-old West Virginia National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom, who was shot on Wednesday. Another Guardsman, 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe, was also shot and remains in critical condition.

Original Source