DC National Guard shooting follows months of Democrats’ stoking fear about military ‘invasion’
The National Guard’s presence in cities that are dominated by Democratic leadership has been a point of fierce criticism for months. “Left‑wing” politicians have called the move “authoritarian” and an “invasion,” arguing it sets the stage for violence and raises the stakes for incidents such as the recent ambush that forced two guardsmen to fight for their lives.
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D‑Maryland) accused President Trump in August of a “textbook authoritarian maneuver” when he announced plans to station the Guard in Washington, D.C., dismissing the city’s crime concerns as “a phony, manufactured crisis.”
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, who has repeatedly clashed with the president over deploying Guard troops on Chicago streets, labeled the action an “invasion” of his state and warned repeatedly against the “militarization of our American cities.”
Just two days before the attack on a pair of West Virginia National Guard soldiers outside a busy D.C. Metro station, Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin told ABC’s “This Week” that she is “incredibly nervous” that federal forces could one day “shoot at American civilians.”
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has voiced sharp criticism, at times downplaying the city’s crime problems, and has called the Guard’s deployment an “authoritarian push” by Trump.
Longtime Rep. Maxine Waters (D‑California) nearly went to tears in an August statement amid the capital surge, claiming that Trump’s goal was to push the nation toward Civil War. “This dictator is using confrontational tactics to provoke Blacks, Latinos, and others into a standoff,” she wrote. “He is just itching to invoke Martial Law, and yes, even push for civil war.”
Democratic Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen echoed Raskin, insisting there was no real crisis on D.C. streets and labeling the Guard’s arrival a “total abuse of power” and a “manufactured emergency” that let Trump act “like a dictator in Washington.”
On August 11, Trump declared a crime emergency in the capital, pledging to rid the city of crime and calling for federal law‑enforcement assistance. His announcement stressed that “the smooth functioning of executive departments and agencies, courts, diplomatic missions, and the Federal Government demands an effective law‑enforcement mechanism capable of halting the precipitous rise in violent crime.”
Since that decree, Democrats have launched a relentless campaign to undermine the administration’s efforts, often using hyperbolic language and drawing parallels to Nazi tactics. Rep. John Larson (D‑CT) branded the use of National Guard and ICE agents “Gestapo tactics.”
The suspect in the recent shooting remains unidentified by police, but sources told the Post that the gunman was a 29‑year‑old Afghan national who immigrated during the chaotic 2021 withdrawal. The attacker, allegedly Rahmanullah Lakanwal, waited before emerging around the corner and firing. Guards and local officers exchanged shots, ultimately taking the suspect into custody after he was hit four times.
Some Republicans tied the attack to the Democrats’ rhetoric. Wisconsin Rep. Derrick Van Orden told Fox News, “My Democrat colleagues need to understand that their words have real consequences.”
Stay informed on all the latest news, real-time breaking news updates, and follow all the important headlines in world News on Latest NewsX. Follow us on social media Facebook, Twitter(X), Gettr and subscribe our Youtube Channel.
