In a scathing statement, US President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday (January 2) criticised what he called "weak, ineffective, and virtually nonexistent leadership" in the United States. His comments followed a deadly car attack in New Orleans, although he did not directly mention the incident in his post.

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Also read: Good evening, I'm Shamsud-Din Jabbar: Footage emerges of New Orleans truck attack accused offering real estate services

“Our Country is a disaster, a laughing stock all over the World! This is what happens when you have OPEN BORDERS, with weak, ineffective, and virtually nonexistent leadership. The DOJ, FBI, and Democrat state and local prosecutors have not done their job. They are incompetent and corrupt, having spent all of their waking hours unlawfully attacking their political opponent, ME, rather than focusing on protecting Americans from the outside and inside violent SCUM that has infiltrated all aspects of our government, and our Nation itself,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social.

He further added, “Democrats should be ashamed of themselves for allowing this to happen to our Country. The CIA must get involved, NOW, before it is too late. The USA is breaking down - A violent erosion of Safety, National Security, and Democracy is taking place all across our Nation. Only strength and powerful leadership will stop it. See you on January 20th. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

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Also read: ‘Act of pure evil,’ Trump links deadly New Orleans truck attack to illegal immigration

Trump's comments came in the wake of a car attack in New Orleans, where 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar, a US Army veteran from Texas, drove a pickup truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street. The attack claimed at least 15 lives and injured many others, making it one of the deadliest incidents in the country. 

Police Commissioner Anne Kirkpatrick described Jabbar as "hell-bent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did," adding that he aimed to "run over as many people as he could."

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During the attack, Jabbar also shot two police officers, who are now in stable condition. The FBI reported that he was killed in a gunfight with police.

'Criminals coming in are far worse than the criminals we have in our country': Trump

In an earlier post, Trump suggested that the suspect was an immigrant. However, officials later clarified that Jabbar was a US-born citizen. “When I said that the criminals coming in are far worse than the criminals we have in our country, that statement was constantly refuted by Democrats and the Fake News Media, but it turned out to be true,” Trump wrote.

“The Trump Administration will fully support the City of New Orleans as they investigate and recover from this act of pure evil,” he added.

(With inputs from agencies)