President Trump Mourns Victims of Bondi Beach Terrorism, Brown University Shooting, and Syria Attacks
President Donald Trump paid tribute Sunday to the victims of three deadly attacks that shook the globe — including a mass shooting at Brown University, a terrorist massacre at Bondi Beach in Australia, and the killing of three U.S. personnel in Syria — during a somber moment at a White House Christmas event.
“I want to just pay my respects to the people — unfortunately, two are no longer with us — at Brown University. Nine injured, and two are looking down on us right now from Heaven,” Trump said from Cross Hall.
He then turned to the violence in Australia. “Likewise, in Australia, that was a terrible attack. Eleven dead, twenty-nine badly wounded. That was an anti-Semitic attack, obviously. And I just want to pay my respects to everybody. It was a rough day.”
Trump also addressed the ISIS ambush in Syria that left two U.S. soldiers and a civilian interpreter dead, vowing serious consequences for those responsible.
“I can tell you, in Syria, there will be a lot of damage done to the people that did it,” Trump warned. “But there’ll be big damage done.” He praised Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa for “fighting by our side” during the operation.
At Brown University on Saturday, a man dressed in black opened fire inside the school’s engineering building during final exams, killing two students and injuring nine others. Authorities have detained a person of interest, but the motive remains unclear.
Meanwhile, at Bondi Beach in Sydney, hundreds gathered to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah when gunmen opened fire in what authorities described as a targeted antisemitic attack. Eleven were killed, and nearly thirty others were injured. One attacker was killed on site, and another remains in critical condition. Authorities are investigating whether a third suspect was involved.
“To the nine injured getting well fast, and to the families of those two that are no longer with us, I pay my deepest regards and respects from the United States of America,” Trump said.
He added, “We’re here to celebrate Christmas, but I think today we can also say loudly — we celebrate Hanukkah. Because that was such a horrible attack. A purely anti-Semitic attack.”
As for the deaths in Syria, the Pentagon said the ambush occurred during a “key leader engagement” in the Palmyra region. The mission was part of an ongoing counter-ISIS and counter-terrorism effort in the area.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed that three more U.S. service members were injured in the ambush. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth later announced the gunman responsible had been killed by partner forces.
Key details about the attack remain under investigation.