Leaders in Washington state are reacting to the shooting that took place Saturday at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
President Donald Trump said a Secret Service agent was hit but was wearing a vest that stopped the bullet.
31-year-old Cole Thomas Allen from California is accused of opening fire inside the event. He will be in court on Monday.
“Thankful for the quick actions of law enforcement keeping everyone safe at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner,” shared Governor Bob Ferguson. “Violence has no place in our democracy.”
Washington State GOP Chairman Rep. Jim Walsh replied to the governor’s post on ‘X,” with the following:
Your hysterical rhetoric contributes to the atmosphere of political violence. pic.twitter.com/ySqlejwxCG
— Jim Walsh (@JimWalshLD19) April 26, 2026
“Tonight’s attempted assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents Dinner is another stark reminder of the danger of radicalism and extreme rhetoric in our politics,” shared Congressman Michael Baumgartner. “Eleanor and I pray for the safety of everyone there, particularly President Trump, Congressman Steve Scalise and Erika Kirk who have felt the impact of radical political violence. All Americans should condemn this violence.”
Representative Pramila Jayapal also posted, saying she was very grateful for law enforcement quickly acting to secure the room.
“Violence is never the answer,” she wrote.
Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez urged people to “please stop trying to murder the president.”
In a statement Sunday morning, press secretary Karoline Leavitt demanded that the political violence end:
What was supposed to be a fun night at the @WHCA dinner with President Trump delivering jokes and celebrating free speech was hijacked by a depraved crazy person who sought to assassinate the President and kill as many top Trump administration officials as possible.
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) April 26, 2026
I was with…
This weekend’s incident is the latest in a series of assassination attempts on the president. The most recent was in February, when the Secret Service killed a man who brought a gun and a gas canister to Mar-a-Lago.
In September of 2024, a man was spotted holding a rifle in the bushes of the Trump International Golf Club in Florida. Two months prior, a man fired eight shots at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. The president was hit in his right ear by a bullet.
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