‘Are you stupid’: Trump lashes out after journo asks why he blamed Biden for DC shooting
The Operation Allies Welcome resettlement programme was set up by Biden after the US military withdrew from Afghanistan in August 2021 that led to the rapid collapse of the Afghan government and the country's takeover by the Taliban.
- Nov 28, 2025,
- Updated Nov 28, 2025 10:04 AM IST
US President Donald Trump lost his calm and reprimanded a journalist who asked him why he blamed the Joe Biden administration for the DC shooting. The accused, 29-year-old Afghan national, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, had entered the US on September 8, 2021, under Operation Allies Welcome. Trump crashed out and repeatedly asked the journalist if she was stupid.
During the interaction with reporters, a journalist said US officials have acknowledged that the shooter was vetted clean. “He went cuckoo, he went nuts. That happens often, that happens often with these people…There is no vetting, they came in unvetted. We have got a lot of others in this country, and we are gonna get them out,” he said.
“Actually, your DOJ IG just reported that there was thorough vetting by DHS (Department of Homeland Security) and by the FBI of Afghans who were brought into the US. So why do you blame the Biden administration?” she asked.
“Are you stupid? Are you a stupid person?” he lashed out. “Because they came in on a plane along with thousands of other people who shouldn’t be here…you are just asking questions because you are a stupid person. And there’s a law passed that makes it almost impossible to get them out. You can’t get them out once they come in. They came in. They were unvetted, unchecked,” he said, adding that the whole Afghanistan events were a mess.
The Operation Allies Welcome resettlement programme was set up by Biden after the US military withdrew from Afghanistan in August 2021 that led to the rapid collapse of the Afghan government and the country's takeover by the Taliban. The programme allowed 70,000 Afghan nationals into the US, as per a congressional report. It was designed to be conducted with vetting procedures, including US counter-terrorism and intelligence agencies.
However, critics have pointed out the rushed nature of the evacuations to say that the background checks were inefficient.
Under the programme, Afghans evacuated to the US were granted a two-year parole allowing them to live and work legally and apply for a more permanent status. A document reviewed by Reuters stated that Lakanwal applied for asylum in December 2024 and was approved on April 23 this year, three months after Trump took office. Lakanwal, 29, who lived in Washington state, had no known criminal history, according to an official.
The government file on Lakanwal noted that he had been vetted by the US because of his work with US government partners during the war in Afghanistan, and no disqualifying information was found.
Meanwhile, Trump has called for a re-examination of all Afghan nationals who entered the US during the Biden administration. The Trump administration suspended all immigration applications by Afghan nationals on Wednesday night.
US President Donald Trump lost his calm and reprimanded a journalist who asked him why he blamed the Joe Biden administration for the DC shooting. The accused, 29-year-old Afghan national, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, had entered the US on September 8, 2021, under Operation Allies Welcome. Trump crashed out and repeatedly asked the journalist if she was stupid.
During the interaction with reporters, a journalist said US officials have acknowledged that the shooter was vetted clean. “He went cuckoo, he went nuts. That happens often, that happens often with these people…There is no vetting, they came in unvetted. We have got a lot of others in this country, and we are gonna get them out,” he said.
“Actually, your DOJ IG just reported that there was thorough vetting by DHS (Department of Homeland Security) and by the FBI of Afghans who were brought into the US. So why do you blame the Biden administration?” she asked.
“Are you stupid? Are you a stupid person?” he lashed out. “Because they came in on a plane along with thousands of other people who shouldn’t be here…you are just asking questions because you are a stupid person. And there’s a law passed that makes it almost impossible to get them out. You can’t get them out once they come in. They came in. They were unvetted, unchecked,” he said, adding that the whole Afghanistan events were a mess.
The Operation Allies Welcome resettlement programme was set up by Biden after the US military withdrew from Afghanistan in August 2021 that led to the rapid collapse of the Afghan government and the country's takeover by the Taliban. The programme allowed 70,000 Afghan nationals into the US, as per a congressional report. It was designed to be conducted with vetting procedures, including US counter-terrorism and intelligence agencies.
However, critics have pointed out the rushed nature of the evacuations to say that the background checks were inefficient.
Under the programme, Afghans evacuated to the US were granted a two-year parole allowing them to live and work legally and apply for a more permanent status. A document reviewed by Reuters stated that Lakanwal applied for asylum in December 2024 and was approved on April 23 this year, three months after Trump took office. Lakanwal, 29, who lived in Washington state, had no known criminal history, according to an official.
The government file on Lakanwal noted that he had been vetted by the US because of his work with US government partners during the war in Afghanistan, and no disqualifying information was found.
Meanwhile, Trump has called for a re-examination of all Afghan nationals who entered the US during the Biden administration. The Trump administration suspended all immigration applications by Afghan nationals on Wednesday night.