President Donald Trump reacted on Monday to the brutal murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska aboard the light rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina, in late August.
Surveillance video from the train captured almost everything as repeat offender DeCarlos Brown, Jr. stabbed the 23-year-old woman three times, at least once in the neck, and then got up and walked casually to the door — stopping only to remove his sweatshirt — as blood dripped to the floor of the train car.
Trump responded to the video that went viral over the weekend — despite a lack of coverage from legacy media — in a post shared first to his Truth Social platform.
🚨 Statement from @POTUS: pic.twitter.com/6ZsykAaPMW
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) September 8, 2025
“I have seen the horrific video of a beautiful, young Ukrainian refugee, who came to America to escape the vicious War in Ukraine, and was innocently riding the Metro in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she was brutally ambushed by a mentally deranged lunatic,” Trump posted.
He went on to note that Brown, who had been in and out of jail a number of times, had faced some 14 court cases in Mecklenburg County alone — and argued that he never should have been allowed back out on the streets.
“The perpetrator was a well known career criminal, who had been previously arrested and released on CASHLESS BAIL in January, a total of 14 TIMES. What the hell was he doing riding the train, and walking the streets? Criminals like this need to be LOCKED UP,” he wrote. “The blood of this innocent woman can literally be seen dripping from the killer’s knife, and now her blood is on the hands of the Democrats who refuse to put bad people in jail, including Former Disgraced Governor and ‘Wannabe Senator’ Roy Cooper.”
“North Carolina, and every State, needs LAW AND ORDER, and only Republicans will deliver it! Additionally, where is the outrage from the Mainstream Media on this horrible tragedy?” Trump concluded with an endorsement for former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley in his Senate bid. “VOTE FOR MICHAEL WHATLEY FOR UNITED STATES SENATE, HE WON’T LET THIS HAPPEN AGAIN!”
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles released a statement as well, taking nearly the opposite tone. After briefly offering her condolences to the victim’s family, she issued a lengthy statement calling for more mental health resources and cautioning the public to not villainize those who had mental health struggles.
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