President Donald Trump raged on Tuesday at a "horrible tragedy" in a new social media post as a way to promote his preferred candidate in the 2026 North Carolina Senate race.
On Aug. 22, a Ukrainian woman named Iryna Zarutska was killed on the Charlotte Area Transit System. Zarutska had come to the United States after escaping Russia after the war in Ukraine started, according to NBC News. The case has drawn national attention, including from the Trump administration.
"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 in a post on Truth Social.
"The perpetrator was a well known career criminal, who had been previously arrested and released on CASHLESS BAIL in January, a total of 14 TIMES," it adds. "What the hell was he doing riding the train, and walking the streets? Criminals like this need to be LOCKED UP."
"The blood of this innocent woman can literally be seen dripping from the killer’s knife, and 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 added. "North Carolina, and every State, needs LAW AND ORDER, and only Republicans will deliver it! Additionally, where is the outrage from the Mainstream Media on this horrible tragedy? VOTE FOR MICHAEL WHATLEY FOR UNITED STATES SENATE, HE WON’T LET THIS HAPPEN AGAIN!"