Donald Trump Responds to Israeli Embassy Staff Killings in DC: 'Must End'
By Khaleda Rahman
President Donald Trump has reacted after two staff members of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C, were shot and killed on Wednesday evening.
"These horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW!" Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social website early Thursday.
"Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA. Condolences to the families of the victims. So sad that such things as this can happen! God Bless You ALL!"
The shooting occurred as the victims were leaving an event at the Capital Jewish Museum, when the suspect—identified as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez of Chicago—approached a group of four people and opened fire, Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith said at a news conference. The suspect began chanting "free, free Palestine" when he was taken into custody, Smith said.
Trump responds to DC Shooting
FBI agents cordon off the scene outside the Capital Jewish Museum following a shooting that left two people dead, in Washington, DC, in the early hours of May 22, 2025. Inset, U.S. President Donald Trump... More GETTY
The Context
Israel has launched a new campaign targeting Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip in a war that has set tensions aflame across the wider Middle East. It began after the Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023 that saw 1,200 people killed and some 250 hostages taken to Gaza.
Israel's campaign in Gaza has since killed more than 53,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, The Associated Press reported, citing local health authorities. The fighting has displaced 90 percent of the territory's population of roughly 2 million, sparked a hunger crisis and obliterated vast swaths of Gaza's urban landscape.
Polling by Gallup earlier this year found that although Americans are more likely to be sympathetic towards Israelis than Palestinians, support for the Israelis was at its lowest level in 25 years, with 46 percent of Americans expressing support for Israel. The poll found the number of Americans who sympathize with the Palestinians is at the highest level since Gallup began tracking the measure, at 33 percent.
What To Know
At the news conference, Smith said the suspect was observed pacing back and forth outside the museum before the shooting.
"He approached a group of four people, produced a handgun and opened fire, striking both of our decedents," Smith said.
Smith said the suspect then entered the museum and was detained by security.
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After he was detained, he disclosed where he discarded the weapon and that weapon has been recovered, Smith said.
"The suspect chanted 'free free Palestine' while in custody," she said.
She said law enforcement did not believe there was an ongoing threat to the community.
Dan Bongino, the deputy director of the FBI, said the shooting happened near the bureau's Washington field office. He said FBI police officers assigned to posts on the property "had immediately responded and rendered aid after the attack."
"Early indicators are that this is an act of targeted violence," he wrote on X.
What People Are Saying
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said at the news conference: "The horrific incident is going to frighten a lot of people in our city and in our country and I want to be clear that we will not tolerate this violence or hate in our city. We will not tolerate any acts of terrorism and we're going to stand together as a community in the coming days and weeks to send a clear message that we will not tolerate antisemitism."
Attorney General Pam Bondi said she was at the scene with former judge Jeanine Pirro, who serves as the U.S. attorney in Washington and whose office would prosecute the case.
She wrote on X: "Praying for the victims of this violence as we work to learn more."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said he was "shocked" by the "horrific, antisemitic" shooting.
He said in a statement: "We are witnessing the terrible price of antisemitism and wild incitement against Israel."
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said in a statement posted on X: "I am devastated by the scenes in Washington DC. This is a despicable act of hatred, of antisemitism, which has claimed the lives of two young employees of the Israeli embassy. Our hearts are with the loved ones of those murdered and our immediate prayers are with the injured. I send my full support to the Ambassador and all the embassy staff. We stand with the Jewish community in DC and across the US. America and Israel will stand united in defense of our people and our shared values. Terror and hate will not break us."
What's Next
The Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI are investigating.
Bongino said the FBI team "is fully engaged" and will provide answers "as soon as we can, without compromising additional leads."
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