Trump Rails Against Media, Dem Crime Policies After Brutal Train Murder
President Donald Trump on Monday tore into soft-on-crime Democrats and their media allies after the vicious murder of 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska aboard a light rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Surveillance footage from the train shows the shocking moment repeat offender DeCarlos Brown, Jr. stabbed Zarutska three times — including once in the neck — before calmly walking off the train, pausing only to discard his sweatshirt as blood pooled on the floor.
Trump reacted to the footage, which went viral over the weekend despite near-total silence from the corporate press, with a scathing post on Truth Social.
“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 wrote.
? Statement from @POTUS: pic.twitter.com/6ZsykAaPMW
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) September 8, 2025
The president blasted Mecklenburg County officials for letting Brown — a career criminal with at least 14 court cases — roam the streets after being released on cashless bail in January.
“The perpetrator was a well known career criminal… What the hell was he doing riding the train, and walking the streets? Criminals like this need to be LOCKED UP,” Trump continued. “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.”
Trump emphasized that only Republican policies would restore order and prevent future tragedies. “North Carolina, and every State, needs LAW AND ORDER, and only Republicans will deliver it!” he wrote, before endorsing GOP Senate candidate Michael Whatley. “VOTE FOR MICHAEL WHATLEY FOR UNITED STATES SENATE, HE WON’T LET THIS HAPPEN AGAIN!”
Meanwhile, Charlotte’s Democrat Mayor Vi Lyles issued a response taking a markedly different tone. While briefly offering condolences to Zarutska’s family, Lyles pivoted to a call for expanded mental health services and warned against “villainizing” individuals with mental health challenges.
The sharp contrast in responses underscored the national divide in how to address spiraling crime — and further cemented Trump’s 2024 message of zero tolerance for lawlessness and unapologetic support for victims.