Trump Vows 'Swift and Severe' Revenge on 'Animal' Suspect in Deadly Shooting of Two National Guardsmen Near White House
- Maria F. Gonzalez
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
Washington, D.C. – November 26, 2025 In a blistering post on Truth Social late Wednesday afternoon, President-elect Donald Trump decried the fatal shooting of two National Guardsmen stationed near the White House as an "act of pure evil" and promised that the unidentified suspect – whom he branded an "animal" – would face "the full fury of American justice." The brazen attack, which plunged the nation's capital into lockdown and sent shockwaves through military and political circles, marks the latest in a string of high-profile violence targeting symbols of American power.The incident unfolded around 3:15 p.m. ET near the northwest corner of the White House grounds, along 17th Street NW, where a pair of West Virginia National Guardsmen – identified by Governor Jim Justice as 28-year-old Sgt. Elijah Ramirez and 32-year-old Cpl. Marcus Hale – were conducting routine security patrols amid heightened post-election tensions. According to Metropolitan Police Department reports, the suspect, described only as a lone male in his late 20s wearing dark tactical gear, approached the duo from a nearby alley and opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle, striking both men multiple times in the torso and head at close range.
Eyewitnesses described hearing a rapid burst of gunfire – "like fireworks on steroids," one onlooker told reporters – before Secret Service agents swarmed the area, neutralizing the threat with return fire. The suspect was wounded and taken into custody alive, though his condition remains undisclosed.Trump's response was immediate and incendiary. "These brave warriors were guarding our sacred home against the radical left's chaos, and some deranged animal thought he could spill their blood without consequence," the president-elect wrote in a message timestamped 4:07 p.m. ET. "He will pay dearly – swiftly and severely. No mercy for those who attack our protectors. America will remember, and we will retaliate in kind. God bless Elijah and Marcus, and God bless the United States!"
The post, which garnered over 2 million views within the hour, echoed the raw outrage that has defined Trump's public persona, drawing swift rebukes from Democratic leaders who accused him of inflaming divisions at a fragile moment.The White House, under outgoing President Kamala Harris's administration, issued a terse statement condemning the "heinous act of violence" and confirming that the perimeter had been secured with no ongoing threat to residents or staff.
"Our hearts are with the families of these fallen heroes," Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said during a hurried briefing. "The FBI and Secret Service are leading a joint task force to uncover any motives or accomplices. This is not who we are as a nation." Vice President-elect JD Vance, speaking from Mar-a-Lago, called the Guardsmen "martyrs for freedom" and urged Congress to fast-track expanded protections for military personnel in urban postings.As investigators comb through surveillance footage and the suspect's digital footprint – early reports suggest possible ties to online extremist forums – this tragedy serves as a grim reminder of the escalating threats facing conservative figures and institutions. Just two months ago, on September 10, 2025, Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was assassinated while delivering a speech at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, gunned down by 24-year-old Tyler Robinson in what authorities described as a politically motivated hit.
Trump, then campaigning vigorously, vowed "retribution like you've never seen" for Kirk's death, labeling it "the deep state's opening salvo" and promising to "hunt down every shadow" behind it.
That pledge fueled a wave of reprisals, including investigations and firings targeting over 600 individuals deemed insufficiently supportive of pro-Trump narratives in the assassination's aftermath.
Compounding the unease, the FBI's probe into Robinson – once touted as a sprawling inquiry into a potential foreign intelligence network influencing domestic radicals – was abruptly dropped last month, with agency spokespeople citing "insufficient evidence of external orchestration."
Critics, including incoming FBI Director nominee Kash Patel, decried the closure as a "whitewash," pointing to early leads on more than 20 Discord users who allegedly aided Robinson's planning – a number Patel recently escalated to "a lot more than that" in Senate testimony.
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The decision has sparked bipartisan calls for a special prosecutor, with some speculating it could link to broader geopolitical meddling in U.S. elections.Social media erupted in the shooting's wake, with users drawing parallels to the July 2024 attempts on Trump's life and Kirk's slaying. "This isn't random – it's a pattern of war on patriots," posted conservative influencer Gunther Eagleman, whose video commentary amassed over 28,000 likes in minutes.
@GuntherEagleman
Others, like Riley Gaines, invoked the memory of rally attendee Corey Comperatore, killed during one of Trump's near-misses, to underscore a perceived "escalating assault on the right."
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Live Updates
5:42 p.m. ET: West Virginia Governor Jim Justice confirms Ramirez and Hale's identities in an emotional X post, announcing state flags at half-mast and a memorial fund for their families. "These boys were the best of us," Justice wrote.
5:28 p.m. ET: Secret Service reports the suspect's rifle as a modified AR-15 variant; ballistics matching underway. No manifesto released yet, but phone records show recent contacts with untraceable burner numbers.
5:15 p.m. ET: House Speaker Mike Johnson calls for an emergency session on "domestic terror safeguards," vowing to tie it to Trump's promised "retribution agenda" post-inauguration.
4:55 p.m. ET: Protests forming outside the FBI's Hoover Building, with demonstrators chanting "Justice for Kirk! Justice for Guardsmen!" and demanding Patel's immediate confirmation.
4:37 p.m. ET: CNN reports the suspect's vehicle, abandoned two blocks away, contained anti-Trump literature and a notebook with "targets" scrawled alongside images of the White House and Mar-a-Lago.
As the sun sets over a fortified capital, the nation braces for revelations that could further polarize an already fractured republic. Will this be the catalyst for the vengeance Trump has long telegraphed, or another wound in America's deepening divide? Stay tuned for more as details emerge.
Maria F. Gonzalez
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