Podcast Summary: The Ben Shapiro Show

Episode: Ben Reacts: National Guard Terrorist Attack
Date: November 27, 2025
Host: Ben Shapiro (The Daily Wire)

Overview

In this urgent “vacation week” edition, Ben Shapiro delivers an immediate and impassioned response to the breaking news of a terrorist attack near the White House, where two National Guard soldiers were shot by an Afghan national. Shapiro connects the attack to what he sees as failures of President Joe Biden’s foreign and immigration policies, specifically the chaotic 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan and subsequent resettlement programs. He critiques the political and ideological decisions that, in his view, enabled such tragedies, warning against policies of unvetted migration from regions hostile to American values.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Breaking Details of the Attack

Incident Summary:
- Two National Guard troops shot in what Shapiro calls an “obviously...terrorist attack” near the White House.
- The alleged assailant: Rahmanula Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national who entered the U.S. under Operation Allies Welcome after the 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal.
- Sequence: The suspect ambushed and shot a female guard (chest and head), fired at a second guard, and was ultimately subdued by a third soldier and “hauled away nearly naked” after being shot four times.
- The suspect reportedly shouted “Allahu Akbar” during the attack.

Quote:
"This person apparently entered the country under Operation Allies welcome and then resettled in Bellingham, Washington... and then a third guard stationed nearby rushed to the area and took him down."
— Ben Shapiro [03:00]

2. Critique of Biden’s Afghanistan Withdrawal

Biden’s Foreign Policy Criticized:
- Shapiro strongly condemns the “cowardly and ignominious” withdrawal, arguing it directly enabled the Taliban’s resurgence, the deaths at Abbey Gate, and the oppression of Afghan women.
- He contends it was possible to have “a withdrawal that was more orderly” and provided a livable future for Afghans opposed to the Taliban.

Quote:
"Remember, Joe Biden decided that in perfectly cowardly and ignominious fashion, the United States was going to flee Afghanistan and leave the entire country in the hands of the Taliban."
— Ben Shapiro [04:08]

3. Policy Aftermath: Mass, Unvetted Migration

Operation Allies Welcome Critiqued:
- Shapiro claims the Biden administration, “as a compensatory failure,” admitted tens of thousands of Afghans with inadequate vetting.
- He distinguishes between vetted allies (e.g., translators) and “unvetted thousands,” emphasizing the risk of importing “terror-minded people.”
- He cites New York Post reporting: 90,000 Afghans admitted, with 55 found on the terrorist watchlist (nine still in the terror database as of July 2024, eight in the U.S.).
Broader Point:
- He links this unvetted migration to larger immigration issues, invoking the example of Somali communities in Minnesota and concerns about assimilation, welfare fraud, and terrorism.

Quote:
"Should we be surprised that unvetted mass migrations from some of the least pro-American countries on planet Earth, that you are going to catch a bunch of people there who ought not be in the United States or those people go on to commit act of terrorism? Of course not."
— Ben Shapiro [06:45]

4. Direct Political Blame

Assignment of Responsibility:
- Shapiro lays this attack “pure and simple” at Biden’s feet, asserting it’s the President’s duty to prevent the entry of “some of the most predictably terror minded people on earth.”
- He denounces what he perceives as a left-wing “bizarre notion” of America’s “blood guilt,” arguing that this mentality led to reckless policy and tragic results.

Quote:
"And this one is on Joe Biden, pure and simple. I don't— I don't know who else to blame. Honestly. Like it is your job to make sure that some of the most predictably terror minded people on Earth don't come into the United States."
— Ben Shapiro [07:20]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On the timeline of failure:
"You have cowardice, meaning the Afghan surrender followed by foolishness, the importation of people unvetted from Afghanistan into the United States..."
[07:38]
On cultural assimilation and U.S. security:
"When you bring in huge numbers of people from countries that do not like the United States and whose cultures are in fact not assimilative to American values, then you can't be surprised when stuff like this happens."
[06:55]
On the heartbreaking cost:
"The result of that is a female National Guard soldier shot in the chest and in the head and a second soldier shot as well. It's horrifying stuff."
[08:05]

Timestamps for Key Segments

[01:34] — Breaking news: Attack details, identity of the suspect, sequence of the shooting
[03:40] — Critique of U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and fallout
[05:44] — Mass migration and Operation Allies Welcome; vetting failures outlined
[06:45] — Discussion on broader issues with unvetted migration from countries with anti-American sentiment
[07:20] — Direct attribution of blame; philosophical critique of “blood guilt” thinking
[08:05] — Emphasizing the human cost and summary of the consequences

Tone and Style

Shapiro’s tone is urgent, forceful, and unapologetically partisan. He employs pointed critique, sarcasm (“which, of course, is a peaceful cry of wonder and joy, as we know, historically speaking here” [03:48]), and rhetorical repetition to stress his arguments. His language is direct, emotionally charged, and intended to galvanize his audience.

Conclusion

Ben Shapiro frames the National Guard terrorist attack as the tragic but foreseeable result of Biden administration policies—both in the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal and the large-scale, poorly-vetted migration it triggered. He warns of continued dangers tied to similar policies and asserts the necessity for tougher, more security-minded immigration and foreign policy. The episode blends breaking news with sweeping policy analysis and characteristic polemic, providing listeners with both details on the event and a conservative ideological response.

Transcript

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Political Commentator (1:34)

Alrighty folks. So I needed to break in. I know that it's sort of a vacation week and obviously we're approaching Thanksgiving and there's a lot going on for everybody, but I did want to comment on this horrifying news out of Washington D.C. we know that two National Guard troops have been shot in what appears to be pretty obviously a terrorist attack near the White House. We now have the identity of the person who did the shooting. According to the New York Post, this person is a 29 year old Afghan national who came to the United states during the 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal. The person's name is Rahmanula Lakanwal who apparently literally just ambushed these soldiers. He was lying in wait before rounding the corner near the Farragut West Metro station in Northwest D.C. around 2:15pm Opened fire, struck a female guard in the chest and then shot her in the head. This person apparently entered the country under Operation Allies welcome and then resettled in Bellingham, Washington. He allegedly fired at and struck the second guard as well and then a third guard stationed nearby rushed to the area and took him down. The suspect was shot four times and was Hauled away nearly naked in ambulance, apparently acted alone. Now, they're pretending that there is no obvious motive here, but reports suggest that this person, while performing the shooting, was shouting Allahu Akbar, which, of course, is a peaceful cry of wonder and joy, as we know, historically speaking here. And there's so much to say about this. I mean, first of all, these are the wages of Joe Biden's awful foreign policy combined with his awful immigration policy. Remember, Joe Biden decided that in perfectly cowardly and ignominious fashion, the United States was going to flee Afghanistan and leave the entire country in the hands of the Taliban. We are simply going to withdraw air support. We are going to make it impossible for the Afghan government to stand up to the Taliban in any way, shape, or form. They rushed through the country. They ended up blowing up 13American troops at Abbey Gate. They ended up killing enormous number of Afghan civilians. And then, of course, they ended up taking over the entire country, stuffing every woman back into a burqa and destroying the lives of some 19 million women who live in the country. All of that because of Joe Biden. Because there could have been a withdrawal that was more orderly. There could have been a withdrawal that allowed for the possibility of the Afghan government continuing to provide a place for people to live that wasn't trash. Now, one of the biggest problems here is that in the aftermath of that, as sort of a compensatory failure, the Biden administration, because they knew that they were handing over an entire country back to terror masters like the Taliban, they decided that it was now necessary to bring thousands and thousands of unvetted Afghan refugees to the United States, that we were simply going to open our borders. So, because after 9, 11, the United States decided to take out the Taliban as the power reigning in Afghanistan, and then decided that they were going to build a functioning democracy in Afghanistan, which, of course, was never going to work perfectly well, and then decided precipitously to withdraw because of Joe Biden's cowardice and idiocy. The result of this is that you end up with terrorists in the United States. So the rem. The. The original goal of this entire operation was to keep terrorists out of the United States and, in fact, to deny a safe haven to terrorists in Afghanistan and to keep terrorists outside of America's borders. And instead, what you got, thanks to Joe Biden, is the very people responsible for providing a safe haven for al Qaeda in 2001, back in power by 2021. And not only that, export of many of the people who actively are fans of Terrorism and hate the United States into the United States. And that's not everybody who is working with us as an ally. That's not, you know, vetted contractors that the US Military was working with. That was Joe Biden bringing unvetted thousands of people into the United States on the assumption the United States bore them a sort of blood guilt for having surrendered in Afghanistan. So it's failure on top of failure on top of failure. How many people came in? According to the New York Post, roughly 90,000 Afghans were allowed entry into the United States and became eligible for special immigrant visas under the Biden administration's Operation Allies Refuge and Operations Allies welcome programs, which again provided foreign nationals immigration processing and resettlement support. And by the way, again, it is absolutely unclear how many of these people were in fact allies of the United States. Were vetted were Afghan translators and all the rest. In June, U.S. officials identified 55 Afghan evacuees on the terrorist watch list who had immigrated from Afghanistan during that botched operation. 55. After investigations, the FBI eventually removed 46 evacuees from the watch list, but nine remained in the terror database. As of July 2024, eight were in the United States. So should we be surprised that unvetted mass migrations from some of the least pro American countries on planet earth, that you are going to catch a bunch of people there who ought not be in the United States or those people go on to commit act of terrorism? Of course not. Of course not. And pretending otherwise is insanely stupid. Of course all of this ties to unvetted Muslim migration from places like say, Somalia, which of course has become a hot topic given the amount of welfare fraud as well as terror support in places in Minnesota, for example. When you bring in huge numbers of people from countries that do not like the United States and whose cultures are in fact not assimilative to American values, then you can't be surprised when stuff like this happens. You cannot. And this one is on Joe Biden, pure and simple. I don't, I don't know who else to blame. Honestly. Like it is your job to make sure that some of the most predictably terror minded people on earth don't come into the United States. So again, you have cowardice, meaning the Afghan surrender followed by foolishness, the importation of people unvetted from Afghanistan into the United States combined with a sort of bizarre notion that America bears blood guilt to the rest of the world, which of course is not true. And the result of that is a female National Guard soldier shot in the chest and in the head and a second soldier shot as well. It's horrifying stuff. So obviously we can only bring commentary to you like this live in real time because of our Daily Wire members, our annual members in particular. You can become an annual member 50 off right now@dailywire.com right now. And we obviously appreciate that. We'll continue to bring you the breaking news and as it happens.