Trump Condemns Stabbing of Woman on Charlotte Train

The president called the Charlotte train stabbing ‘horrible’ and said nation must confront evil.

Iryna Zarutska (bottom R) before she was fatally stabbed on a commuter train on Aug. 22, 2025, in a still from video. Charlotte Area Transit System via AP

President Donald Trump on Sept. 8 denounced the fatal stabbing of a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee in Charlotte, North Carolina, as a “horrible” act, saying the nation must stand up against “evil people.”

“We’re all people of religion, but there are evil people,” Trump said during remarks at the Museum of the Bible. “And we have to confront that. I just give my love and hope to the family of the young woman who was stabbed this morning or last night in Charlotte by a madman.”

The victim, Iryna Zarutska, was killed on Aug. 22 while riding the city’s light rail, minutes after taking a seat in front of the man accused of attacking her, according to police. Her family said she had recently fled war-torn Ukraine and settled in Charlotte.

“Ira had recently arrived in the United States, seeking safety from the war and hoping for a new beginning. Tragically, her life was cut short far too soon,” reads a statement on a GoFundMe page.

Trump’s comments came after the release of graphic surveillance footage showing the stabbing and its aftermath. The video showed a man walking through the train with a knife dripping blood.

“A lunatic just got up and started,” Trump said. “It’s right on tape. Not really watchable because it’s so horrible, but just viciously stabbed. She’s just sitting there.”

The Charlotte Area Transit System released the footage showing Zarutska boarding the Lynx Blue Line around 9:45 p.m. on Aug. 22, wearing a pizzeria uniform and scrolling on her phone. A man in a red hoodie sat behind her. About four minutes later, he pulled out a knife and stabbed her several times, including at least once in the neck. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police identified the suspect as 34-year-old Decarlos Brown Jr., who was charged with murder on Aug. 28 and remains held without bond.

Trump later took to social media to say that the accused was a career criminal who had been released on cashless bail a total of 14 times.

“What ... was he doing riding the train, and walking the streets? Criminals like this need to be LOCKED UP,” the president wrote, adding that the victim’s “blood is on the hands of” politicians who refuse to put bad people in jail.

The killing has drawn national attention, with Republicans tying the incident to national debates over criminality.

The Mecklenburg County Republican Party announced a news conference on public safety for Sept. 10.

“Charlotte deserves leadership that prioritizes the safety of its residents over excuses,” Kyle Kirby, chairman of the Mecklenburg County GOP, said in a statement released on Facebook.

“The tragic death of Iryna Zarutska highlights a dangerous pattern of neglect and failed policies from our city’s leadership,” he said, adding that it “must be addressed.”

Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles expressed sorrow over the incident and vowed action to protect Charlotte residents and ensure safety in the city.

“The video of the heartbreaking attack that took Iryna Zarutska’s life is now public,” she said in a post on X. “This was a senseless and tragic loss. My prayers remain with her loved ones as they continue to grieve through an unimaginable time.

“Like so many of you, I’m heartbroken—and I’ve been thinking hard about what safety really looks like in our city.

“I remain committed to doing all we can to protect our residents and ensure Charlotte is a place where everyone feels safe.”

Lyles also thanked media outlets for not reposting or sharing footage of the attack “out of respect for Iryna’s family,” a remark that drew some criticism.

State Rep. Brenden Jones, a Republican and the House majority leader, criticized Lyles for the remark.

“Thanking the media for staying quiet about a tragic death shows exactly how Democrats in big cities try to cover up their crime problem,” Jones said in a post on X.

At the national level, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy blamed Charlotte officials, saying in a Sept. 7 post on X that the suspect “had a track record longer than a CVS receipt, including prison time for robbery with a dangerous weapon, breaking and entering, and larceny. By failing to properly punish him, Charlotte failed Iryna Zarutska and North Carolinians.”

After Trump’s remarks, Duffy accused Charlotte officials and those “on the left” of “downplaying murders like this by saying we can’t demonize the homeless or the mentally ill.”

“@POTUS is right. People are evil when they attack innocent victims,” Duffy wrote. “This administration will hold local leaders accountable for letting these criminals terrorize our transit systems.”

North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein took to social media to condemn what he described as a “senseless act of violence.”

“I am appalled by the footage of her murder. We need more cops on the beat to keep people safe,” he said in a post on X. “That’s why my budget calls for more funding to hire more well-trained police officers. I call upon the legislature to pass my law enforcement recruitment and retention package to address vacancies in our state and local agencies so they can stop these horrific crimes and hold violent criminals accountable.”

Stein’s post drew a number of critical reactions, many of which said that the suspect had been arrested 14 times and later released.

Will Chamberlain, vice president of external affairs at the Edmund Burke Foundation, a conservative advocacy group, said in a post on X that the “police did their job” by arresting the suspect and that it’s the governor’s “job to sign into law bills that keep career criminals in jail.”

The stabbing comes amid national debate about federal efforts to crack down on crime. Trump has already federalized law enforcement in Washington and warned that high-crime cities such as Chicago could be next.