Showcases gruesome stories

Trump showcases gruesome stories throughout the night

He repeatedly used the stories to underscore his points.

Erin Doherty

Trump repeatedly used his speech to recount violent crimes in vivid detail, using those stories to bolster his push for stricter criminal penalties and tougher immigration enforcement.

He described the killing of Iryna Zarutska, saying she was attacked on a train by a “deranged monster” who ”viciously slashed a knife through her neck and body.” The 23-year-old was fatally stabbed in September on a light-rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina, by a man with a history of mental illness and previous arrests. He said he was honored by the presence of Zarutska’s mother, who sat in the chamber.

“No one will ever forget the expression of terror on Iryna’s face as she looked up at her attacker in the last seconds of her life,” Trump said, arguing that the case illustrates the need for tougher laws targeting repeat offenders.

“I’m asking this Congress to pass tough legislation to ensure that violent and dangerous repeat offenders are put behind bars and importantly, that they stay there,” he said.

It was one of several gruesome stories Trump told throughout the night.

Trump also highlighted the fatal shooting of 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom near the White House in November as she was on patrol as a National Guard member in Washington. He described her as having been “ambushed and shot in the head by a terrorist monster from Afghanistan,” while on patrol, using the incident to underscore his strict law-and-order messaging.

Trump awarded Beckstrom with the Purple Heart posthumously, along with U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, who was also shot in the attack.

He also referred to the killing of Charlie Kirk — “violently murdered by an assassin” — among other stories.