White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced she was holding her last press gaggle outside the briefing room on Friday because she was expecting her daughter's birth. That changed when Cole Allen, 31, tried to storm the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, targeting President Trump and his officials.
.@PressSec: "We are blessed to have a fearless president, we should not live in a country where such constant fear of political violence permeates our society every single day [...] Nobody in recent years has faced more bullets and more violence that President Trump." pic.twitter.com/MeVwXPInap
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) April 27, 2026
Allen traveled across the country by train to carry out this attack. Leavitt held another briefing today, where she called Allen an anti-Trump lunatic while confirming that this was another attempted assassination of President Trump—Allen’s manifesto makes that clear.
Trump wanted to proceed with the dinner after Allen’s apprehension, but it was rescheduled. Trump is fearless, but Leavitt added that we shouldn’t live in constant fear of political violence
“Nobody in recent years has faced more bullets and more violence than President Trump,” she added. Leavitt later lambasted the media and the Left for continuing to peddle violent, heated rhetoric that has ginned up lunatics to commit acts of political violence: Trump supporters are not trying to kill him.
.@PressSec holds up a mirror the press and the Left:
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) April 27, 2026
"When you read the manifesto of this shooter, ask yourselves, 'how different is the rhetoric from this almost assassin from what you read on social media and here in various forums every single day?'
[...] Much of the… pic.twitter.com/NvRNC4Dpza
Honestly, it was a very polished way of saying ‘you people’ did this, and she’s right. The problem is the Left is so full of itself, so bloated with self-righteousness that they don’t even understand what they’re saying. Leavitt clearly outlined how Allen’s manifesto resembles what you read and hear in the liberal press. She later repeated the president’s call for calm following the WHCA attack, where he said, “We, as Americans, must recommit to resolving our differences peacefully.”
She brought the receipts too:
.@PressSec brings the RECEIPTS on Democrats' dangerous rhetoric aimed at President Trump and his administration.
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) April 27, 2026
"When you have people in positions of power that are saying things like this every single day for YEARS, you are inspiring violence..." pic.twitter.com/Pp1VYQHRmh
Leavitt added that Saturday’s attack should highlight the need to fund the Department of Homeland Security, which has been unfunded for more than 70 days. What struck me was how President Trump believed the security measures at the Washington Hilton weren’t an issue, while everyone else felt the protocols were inadequate. Will the WHCA dinner be at the White House in the 30-day timeframe? No, it’s not big enough, and Leavitt stressed the need for the ballroom so we could have events in a more secure setting, a line that I’m sure drove liberals insane—they have alleged this was a staged attack to push for completion of the project.
.@PressSec calls on Democrats to fund DHS NOW:
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) April 27, 2026
"Saturday night served as yet another reminder of how important it is to fund the Department of Homeland Security. It is SHAMEFUL that the US Congress has kept this vital agency defunded for 73 days, the longest shutdown of a… pic.twitter.com/BDObah7dNS
Reporter: Was Saturday night a security failure?
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) April 27, 2026
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt: "The president has said he believes that the protocols worked [...] It all happened literally within a matter of seconds [...] Secret Service did their jobs well. They communicated with one… pic.twitter.com/a0uWlgqMfX
The president will attend, though it’s unclear whether the vice president will be there as well. The importance of having a secure venue where the presidential line of succession can gather was also emphasized, though any adjustments made by the Secret Service now and in the future are obviously not disclosed to the public.
Allen is set to be arraigned today on a slew of federal charges stemming from this attack.
.@PressSec shares what Trump would say to those who were in the ballroom Saturday night:
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) April 27, 2026
"We can't allow these crazy people to let us be afraid. We have to keep moving forward, showing up, doing our jobs, celebrating our country, and doing what we know is right." pic.twitter.com/usSeaVQN8O
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