Additional Coverage:
- MAGA Rep. Van Orden slammed for ‘disgusting propaganda’ after Washington DC shooting (irishstar.com)
Wisconsin Rep. Derrick Van Orden Sparks Outrage After Lauding Trump’s Anti-Crime Stance Following DC Shooting
Washington D.C. – Following a shooting incident near the White House on Wednesday that left two National Guard troops critically injured, Wisconsin Representative Derrick Van Orden faced sharp criticism for promoting former President Donald Trump’s anti-crime claims. The suspected gunman has since been apprehended by authorities.
Appearing on Fox News, Van Orden was asked to comment on Farragut Square, an area close to the shooting site, and describe a typical day there. “It is our nation’s capital, and so we have these wonderful things that people can visit,” Van Orden stated.
He then added, “Actually, now that the National Guard is there, they can visit them safely and securely. You can walk around Washington, D.C. at night now, and it’s solely because of Donald Trump’s decision to send the National Guard … and he should be commended for that.”
This assertion comes despite the fact that the shooting occurred in broad daylight and involved National Guard personnel themselves.
In August, then-President Trump deployed thousands of troops to Washington, D.C., citing the city being “overrun by criminals,” an claim made despite the city experiencing a 30-year low in crime rates at the time. The deployment saw troops clearing homeless encampments and arresting suspected undocumented immigrants.
Trump had previously declared on Truth Social, “Washington, D.C. IS A SAFE ZONE IN JUST A MATTER OF WEEKS,” and has since focused his anti-crime rhetoric on other Democrat-led cities such as Chicago, Portland, and Los Angeles.
Van Orden continued his praise of Trump during the interview, suggesting that “inflammatory rhetoric by the left” may have contributed to the recent incident. “Let us ask ourselves, how did we get here?
How are we in this spot?” he questioned.
He referenced an unnamed “sitting member of Congress” who allegedly called the deployment of National Guard troops “an unlawful order,” and cited instances of CNN commentators equating the presence of National Guard with “Nazi Germany.”
“So, this inflammatory rhetoric by the left has to stop,” Van Orden asserted. “Now, did this drive the shooter?
We don’t know the answer to that question. But did it prevent it from doing it?
Hell no. So, my Democrat colleagues need to understand that their words have consequences.”
Social media users were quick to condemn Van Orden’s remarks, accusing him of spreading “propaganda” in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. One user commented, “They pull them on fast to spread their propaganda, don’t they?”
Another sarcastically wrote, “Broad daylight shooting happens… ‘we should thank the president for making DC safe.'” A third individual challenged the premise of D.C.’s prior unsafety, stating that their sister lives in the city and “we’ve never been afraid to walk around in the evenings.
Ever.”
Perhaps most pointedly, another user remarked, “Apparently, you can’t even walk around DC safely in the daytime with a National Guard uniform now.”