E-Paper
Sign In
White House says press dinner shooting was third assassination attempt on Trump
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt blamed harsh political rhetoric for fostering an environment where someone might want to attack the president
- PUBLISHED: Mon 27 Apr 2026, 10:04 PM UPDATED: Fri 1 May 2026, 12:58 PM
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday described the foiled attack at the White House Correspondents Association dinner as the third major assassination attempt against President Donald Trump.
Leavitt, in her first briefing for reporters since the Saturday night incident, confirmed that White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles will convene a meeting with officials from the Department of Homeland Security, the US Secret Service and the White House operations team to "ensure the safety and the security of the president."
Recommended For You
A gun-wielding suspect was stopped by Secret Service guards before he could enter the crowded hotel ballroom where Trump, first lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance and many other top US officials were gathered for the annual dinner.
Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels
Leavitt blamed harsh political rhetoric for fostering an environment where someone might want to attack the president.
"We should not live in a country where such constant fear of political violence permeates," she said.
Previous assassination attempts
In July, Trump was famously shot at by 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks as he campaigned at a rally in Pennsylvania. The bullet 'pierced the upper part' of Trump's right ear. While the gunman was instantly shot dead, the assassination attempt sparked a wave of sympathy and popularity for the US President.
He spoke the words "Fight! Fight! Fight!" soon became a symbol emblazoned on merchandise from shirts to caps, which sold out soon. His pose, with the fist raised, also became a symbol of the US President's defiance, and lent wings to his presidential campaign.
Two months after this, Trump narrowly survived an assassination attempt as a gunman hid undetected for nearly 12 hours on the edge of the golf course where Trump played.
Trump's desire to golf, in private, at one of his Florida clubs meant that agents did not perform the sort of routine site survey that might have led them to find the alleged gunman before Trump came within a few hundred yards of where the man had holed up for hours, with food, near the fifth hole of the Trump International golf course.
A Secret Service agent spotted the suspected gunman at the Florida golf course, glimpsing the muzzle of his AK-47-style rifle. The agent opened fire, driving him away before he had a direct line of sight to Trump or could fire a shot.
The suspect, Ryan Routh, was apprehended shortly after.