White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt blamed the left’s “crazed rhetoric” aimed at President Trump for inspiring a gunman to charge toward the Washington Hilton ballroom where Mr. Trump and his Cabinet were attending the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner on Saturday night.
“When you have mentally disturbed individuals across the country who are listening to this crazed rhetoric about the president day after day after day, it inspires them to do crazy things,” Ms. Leavitt said.
Democrats, she said, are inspiring violent acts against the president and his administration, resulting in the third serious assassination attempt on Mr. Trump’s life.
“The entire Democrat Party has made their pitch to voters across the country that Donald Trump poses an existential threat to democracy, that he is a fascist and that they compare him to Hitler,” said Ms. Leavitt, who postponed her planned maternity leave to address reporters on Monday. “These are despicable statements that the American people have been consuming for years, and so many mentally perturbed individuals are led to believe these words are truth, and then are inspired to act on it.”
Alleged gunman Cole Tomas Allen will be arraigned on Monday in federal court in the District of Columbia. He sprinted through a security checkpoint outside the ballroom armed with a shotgun, pistol and knives.
He was tackled to the ground by law enforcement.
SEE ALSO: Fourth attempt on Trump’s life raises fresh questions about ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome’
The suspect is being charged with shooting a Secret Service agent and other crimes.
Mr. Allen wrote a manifesto ahead of his actions in which he said: “I am no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes.” He also wrote: “I experience rage thinking about everything this administration has done.”
Mr. Allen said he planned to target administration officials inside the ballroom, “prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest.”
Mr. Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance and first lady Melania Trump were ushered off the ballroom stage when shots were fired outside the ballroom. Cabinet members, lawmakers and other dignitaries ducked under tables as the melee unfolded. The dinner was ultimately cancelled.
Ms. Leavitt said White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles will hold a meeting this week to scrutinize presidential security during public events.
She called on Mr. Trump’s opponents to tone down their rhetoric “because it is inspiring these crazy people across the country to target not just the president but those who work for him and those who support him.”
SEE ALSO: WHCA dinner shooting suspect’s manifesto points to anti-Trump motive
• Susan Ferrechio can be reached at sferrechio@washingtontimes.com.
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