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Former NY Sen. David Carlucci: Trump’s Post‑Shooting Anti‑Immigrant Rhetoric Is 'Really Upsetting'

David Carlucci criticized President Trump’s post‑shooting rhetoric as “really upsetting,” saying the president is “passing the blame wherever possible.” The remarks followed a Washington, D.C., attack in which a 29‑year‑old allegedly shot two National Guard members; 20‑year‑old Sarah Beckstrom later died. Carlucci called proposed measures such as ending asylum and pausing migration "knee‑jerk" reactions that erode trust and urged substantive policy solutions instead of scapegoating.

01:39 AM, 11/29/2025Politics

Former New York State Senator David Carlucci criticized President Donald Trump’s response to the Washington, D.C., shooting during a Friday interview on Fox News, calling the president’s anti-immigrant rhetoric “really upsetting” and accusing him of “passing the blame wherever possible.” The exchange came amid debate about immigration policy and public safety following the attack.

Attack in Washington, D.C.

On Wednesday, 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal is alleged to have shot two National Guard members in Washington, D.C. One of the victims, 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom, later died from her injuries; the other victim remains in critical condition. Authorities say the alleged shooter entered the United States from Afghanistan on a visa in 2021 after the U.S. troop withdrawal and that his asylum application was approved earlier this year.

Political Fallout and Proposals

On Thursday, President Trump pledged to “permanently pause migration” from what he described as “third-world countries” and proposed measures including ending asylum and reviewing roughly 235,000 green-card holders. The president also used harsh language in a Truth Social post criticizing Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and referring to Somali migrants, and he made an unfounded claim about Representative Ilhan Omar’s immigration status.

Carlucci’s Response

Speaking with host Aishah Hasnie, Carlucci pushed back on framing refugees and asylum seekers as scapegoats. “He’s just passing the blame wherever possible,” Carlucci said. “Of course, we mourn for what happened, but we’ve got to make sure that we don’t have just a scapegoat instead of a real policy in how we fix these problems.”

“Going out and saying you’re going to end asylum, you’re going to stop refugees from coming into our country, you’re going to review 235,000 green card holders — this is something that is just so knee‑jerk that it really erodes trust,” Carlucci added. “It’s really upsetting to see the president use this language, attacking the Governor of Minnesota, even going after Somali refugees.”

Carlucci urged policymakers to pair accountability with concrete, evidence‑based policy solutions rather than broad-based restrictions or rhetoric that targets people from specific countries. “Just shutting the doors and kicking people out because they are from a certain country is not going to solve the problem. It’s only going to make it worse,” he said.

The situation remains under investigation, and officials continue to release updates on the victims and the status of the suspect.

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