Fox Guest Calls Trump’s Rhetoric Post-DC Shooting ‘Really Upsetting,’ Says He’s ‘Passing the Blame Wherever Possible’

During a Friday appearance on Fox News, former New York State Senator David Carlucci (D) called President Donald Trump’s post D.C. shooting anti-immigrant rhetoric “really upsetting,” adding that he’s “passing the blame wherever possible.”

On Wednesday, 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal shot two National Guard members in Washington, D.C. 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom later passed away from her injuries, while the other victim remains in critical condition.

The 29-year-old alleged shooter entered the U.S. from Afghanistan on a visa in 2021, after the U.S. pulled troops out of the country. His asylum application was granted earlier this year. On Thursday, Trump promised to “permanently pause migration” from all “third-world countries.”

Speaking to Fox News host Aishah Hasnie after she criticized former President Joe Biden’s administration for allowing Afghan refugees into the country, Carlucci remarked that Trump is “just passing the blame wherever possible… 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,” he continued. “It’s really upsetting to see the president use this language, attacking the Governor of Minnesota, even going after Somali Refugees.”

On Thursday, in a wild tirade on Truth Social, the president called Governor Tim Walz (D-MN) “seriously retarded,” while railing against Somali “gangs” who are “roving the streets looking for prey” in Minnesota. He went on to baselessly allege that Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) was in the country illegally.

“The list never ends in terms of who the president can pass the blame to,” continued Carlucci. “But once you blame enough people, you have got to take responsibility and say what you’re going to do. 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.”

Watch the clip above via Fox News.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!