Two National Guard members were shot and killed Wednesday just blocks from the White House, and while the identity and motive of the attacker are still unknown, MAGA Republicans are already blaming Democrats for the shooting.
Following the shooting, right-wing commentators rushed to their social media accounts to hastily (and baselessly) link the violent incident to their political opposition.
Benny Johnson was one of many who tried to link the shooting to a group of Democratic lawmakers who released a video calling on members of the US military and intelligence community to disobey illegal orders.
“Just a few days ago, six Democrats said President Trump was giving 'illegal' orders to the military and that troops should fight back. Two National Guard members were just attacked and shot dead in Washington,” Johnson wrote on X.
Eric Dougherty, right-wing commentator, also tried to connect The message of these Democrats is violence in Washington. “They say Trump is using the military as his 'personal Gestapo,'” he wrote. “Two service members were shot and killed today right outside the White House. This should send shivers down the spine of every American.”
Greg Price, another right-wing commentator, linked the shooting in particular to one of the lawmakers, Sen. Elissa Slotkin. He wrote that she “went on television last Sunday and said the National Guard was going to start shooting American civilians.”
It's important to note that these Democratic lawmakers said nothing about citizens taking up arms or even protesting the government. They didn't even mention Trump by name. They simply advised those who took an oath to defend the US Constitution to uphold the laws of the land.
Only Trump advocated violence against the government, arguing that Democratic lawmakers had committed sedition, “punishable by death.”
In addition, Alexis Wilkins, a country singer, girlfriend of FBI Director Kash Patel, who proved that is becoming increasingly more expensive for taxpayers— decided to lend her visible political voice to the discussions surrounding the shooting.
“While everyone in X is fighting, the left is still attacking the people who wear the military uniform and support this country just for it. There are more important things in this world and much bigger enemies that actually hate us and actually want to kill us,” she said. wrote on X Wednesday, urging people to “pray.” So, thank you for that, Alexis.
Last week, a federal judge rules that the Pentagon “exceeded the limits of its authority” by sending troops to the nation's capital on “non-military crime-control missions.” But she delayed her decision until Dec. 11 to give the Trump administration time to appeal the decision. After Wednesday's shooting, Trump reportedly asked Defense Minister Pete Hegseth will send 500 more troops to the nation's capital.
The condition of the two National Guardsmen was not immediately clear Wednesday afternoon after West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrissey said he received “conflicting reports” about their health. DC Metropolitan Police confirmed that one suspect was taken into custody.
This story has been updated.
