On April 25, 2026, Donald Trump, JD Vance, and other top members of the Trump administration were rapidly escorted from the White House Correspondents' Dinner (WHCD) at the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C. after gunshots were fired.
The alleged shooter, Cole Tomas Allen, was taken into custody after firing at a Secret Service agent.
Source:
Kile, Meredith. (April 25, 2026). "White House Correspondents' Dinner Shooting: See the Intense, Chaotic Images". People. Retrieved 2026-04-28.
(April 25, 2026). "Who is Cole Tomas Allen, the suspect in the White House Correspondents' Dinner shooting?". Reuters. Retrieved 2026-04-28.
Lee, Ella. (April 27, 2026). "WHCA shooting suspect's motivations emerge: What we know". The Hill. Retrieved 2026-04-28.
Prior to the shooting incident, Allen had written a manifesto, writing that his "targets" at the WHCD were Trump administration officials. In his manifesto, Allen didn't mention Trump by name.
On April 27, Allen was charged with attempting to assassinate Trump, transporting a firearm or ammunition in interstate commerce with the intent to commit a felony, and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence.
Source:
Jacobs, Jennifer; Schecter, Anna; Sganga, Nicole. (April 26, 2026). "The White House Correspondents' Dinner suspect sent a 'manifesto' to his family. CBS News reviewed what's in it.". CBS News. Retrieved 2026-04-28.
Lee, Ella. (April 27, 2026). "Cole Allen, WHCA accused gunman, charged with attempt to assassinate Trump". The Hill. Retrieved 2026-04-28.
On April 26, the day after the incident, Trump sat for an interview with host Norah O'Donnell on the CBS News program "60 Minutes."
During the interview, O'Donnell brought up the question of Cole's motive (bold added for emphasis):
Norah O'Donnell: Well, he had a lot of anti-Christian rhetoric. He had-- he was part of a group called the Wide Awakes. He had attended a No Kings protest in California.
President Trump: No Kings, yeah.
Norah O'Donnell: What did security tell you about what may have been his motives?
President Trump: Well, see, they-- the part-- the reason you have people like that is you have people doing No Kings. I'm not a king. What I am-- if I was a king I wouldn't be dealing with you.
Source:
O'Donnell, Norah; Gavrilovic, Maria; Sharman, Keith. (April 26, 2026). "Trump 'wasn't worried' during White House Correspondents' Dinner shooting. CBS News reviewed what's in it.". CBS News. Retrieved 2026-04-28.
On April 27, during a press briefing, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt blamed specific members of the Democrat party, some in the media, and the "left-wing cult of hatred" for what happened at the White House Correspondents' Dinner:
This political violence stems from a systemic demonization of him and his supporters by commentators, by elected members of the Democrat party and even some in the media.
This hateful and constant and violent rhetoric directed at President Trump day after day after day for 11 years has helped to legitimize this violence and bring us to this dark moment.
When you read the manifesto of the shooter, ask yourselves, how different is the rhetoric from this almost-assassin than what you read on social media and hear in various forms every single day? The answer, if you're being honest with yourself, is that there is no difference at all.
Source:
O'Donnell, Norah; Gavrilovic, Maria; Sharman, Keith. (April 26, 2026). "Trump 'wasn't worried' during White House Correspondents' Dinner shooting. CBS News reviewed what's in it.". CBS News. Retrieved 2026-04-28.
On a related note, in response to a comedy bit that aired on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on April 23 (two days before the WHCD incident), on April 27 Trump posted the following on Truth Social (bold added for emphasis):
Wow, Jimmy Kimmel, who is in no way funny as attested to by his terrible Television Ratings, made a statement on his Show that is really shocking. He showed a fake video of the First Lady, Melania, and our son, Barron, like they were actually sitting in his studio, listening to him speak, which they weren't, and never would be. He then stated, "Our First Lady, Melania, is here. Look at Melania, so beautiful. Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow." A day later a lunatic tried entering the ballroom of the White House Correspondents Dinner, loaded up with a shotgun, handgun, and many knives. He was there for a very obvious and sinister reason. I appreciate that so many people are incensed by Kimmel's despicable call to violence, and normally would not be responsive to anything that he said but, this is something far beyond the pale. Jimmy Kimmel should be immediately fired by Disney and ABC. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP
Melania Trump posted the following on X:
Kimmel's hateful and violent rhetoric is intended to divide our country. His monologue about my family isn't comedy- his words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America.
People like Kimmel shouldn't have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate.
A coward, Kimmel hides behind ABC because he knows the network will keep running cover to protect him.
Enough is enough. It is time for ABC to take a stand. How many times will ABC's leadership enable Kimmel's atrocious behavior at the expense of our community.
During the joke in question, Kimmel said:
Our First Lady Melania is here. So beautiful, Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow.
On April 27, Kimmel defended his joke saying it was just a reference to the fact that Trump is so much older than his wife Melania.
Source:
Sutherland, Callyum; Clearym, Olivia-Anne. (April 28, 2026). "From Firing Threats to Epstein Mentions, Here's a Look at the Fraught History Between Trump and Kimmel". Time. Retrieved 2026-04-28.
Commentary:
During his interview with Norah O'Donnell, Trump blames the "No Kings" protests for the existence of someone like the WHCD shooter, Cole Tomas Allen.
As always, Trump has it all wrong. This time, Trump has it backwards. Allen doesn't have ill-will towards Trump and his administration because of "No Kings" protests or any other form of free speech. Protests are the result of discontent and ill-will that has been fostered by lying, con-man Trump and his insane behavior over the past 10 years. It's Trump's own fault that people like Allen exist, not free speech.
Of course, Trump understands this, but he just couldn't pass up an opportunity to demonize "No Kings" on network TV. The sad part for our democracy is that many people who heard his words will now associate "No Kings" protests, or any protests for that matter, as being bad for democracy, and worse, that they are creating people like Allen. This is con-man Trump, doing what he does, gaslighting people into believing his B.S.
Leavitt's comments show just how out of touch with reality and hypocritical she and so many Trump supporters are.
She claims it's the "left-wing cult of hatred" that is responsible for the WHCD incident.
Trump and his MAGA supporters have created a massive, radical "right-wing cult of hatred" of their own!
She talks about "demonization" and "hateful," "constant," and "violent rhetoric." Who does THAT remind you of?
Are you so far down the Trump rabbit hole (or "up his ass" as Brian Tyler Cohen often puts it) that you can't see that what you are railing about is the exact thing Trump does virtually every day, and has been doing virtually every day since he entered U.S. politics over 10 years ago?
The disconnect from reality, and hypocrisy is on a scale I have never, ever before witnessed!
Two days after the WHCD incident, Trump rails about Kimmel's "despicable call to violence," calling it "something far beyond the pale."
Point 1, Kimmel is a comedian. He, like so many other comedians, joke about Trump and his antics all the time, every day.
Point 2, you don't have to be a rocket-scientist to understand that in the joke, Kimmel was drawing a distinction between Trump and his wife's age.
Point 3, Kimmel's joke aired two days before the WHCD incident.
How does this equate to a "despicable call to violence," and "something far beyond the pale?"
The answer is, it doesn't, and Trump knows it.
Once again, this is just Trump using the opportunity to gaslight any unsuspecting person into his own twisted, and objectively false version of reality.
Trump is the problem.
Trump has always been the problem.
Until Trump is gone from U.S. politics, for good, there will always be people who want to assassinate him.
If you're as fed up with Trump as I am, I implore you to convince all of your friends, neighbors, acquaintances, relatives, and co-workers to vote in the upcoming 2026 mid-term elections. Taking back the U.S House of Representatives will be a huge step in thwarting the radical agenda and political insanity that is Trump.