President Donald Trump shifted attention toward his electoral success in West Virginia when asked Thursday whether he plans to attend the funeral of National Guardswoman Sarah Beckstrom, who was killed during a deployment in Washington, D.C. The question came during a press conference where reporters pressed for details on the administration’s response to the fatal attack.
A reporter asked Trump, “It’s in the early stages, obviously, but do you plan to attend Sarah’s funeral?” Trump replied that he had not yet considered it, then quickly moved into familiar territory by highlighting his popularity in Beckstrom’s home state.
“I haven’t thought about it yet, but it’s certainly something I could conceive of,” he said. “I love West Virginia. You know, I won West Virginia by one of the biggest margins of any president anywhere. And it’s, you know, these are great people. I love the people of West Virginia. I love the people of our country.”
He later added, “But I haven’t given it any thought, but it sounds like something I could do, yeah.”
Beckstrom was killed on Wednesday in an attack that also left another National Guardsman critically wounded. Both service members were deployed to Washington as part of Trump’s decision to assume control of law enforcement duties in the city. The move placed National Guard units in a direct support role on short notice, increasing their presence around government facilities and major intersections.
Authorities say the two Guard members were ambushed during their shift, and investigators are still trying to determine how the suspect approached them without being detected. The shooting has raised concerns among both federal officials and Guard leadership about the conditions surrounding the deployment, though no formal review has yet been announced.
The suspect has been identified as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who previously worked with the CIA during the closing phase of the United States’ withdrawal from Afghanistan. Officials say he served in an elite security unit that assisted American forces, making him one of the many Afghan partners brought to the United States after the collapse of the Afghan government in 2021.
Lakanwal entered the country under a parole program authorized during the Biden administration and was granted asylum this April while Trump was in office. Investigators have not disclosed a possible motive or explained how he may have obtained the weapons used in the attack. Officials say they are examining his background, recent activities, and any potential contacts that could clarify what led to the violence.
The death of Beckstrom has drawn expressions of sympathy from military groups and elected officials, though the White House has not yet announced whether the president or other members of the administration will attend her funeral.
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