Democratic leaders are facing criticism for expressing shock over the shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday, while allegedly fueling the very discourse that some claim incites such political violence.
Several left-leaning lawmakers rushed to denounce the attempted mass shooting, perpetrated by the accused gunman, 31-year-old Cole Allen, who stormed into the Washington Hilton with the aim of targeting President Trump and his administration.
However, numerous past statements from politicians, highlighted by RNC Research after the incident, suggest that efforts to calm the political climate—such as former President Joe Biden’s 2024 appeal to moderate political discourse following the first assassination attempt on President Trump—have largely been ignored by the political left.
Senator Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) shared her relief on social media, expressing gratitude that the President and guests were unharmed, and emphasizing that “political violence has no place in America.”
RNC Research was quick to share her social media post, pointing out her previous remarks labeling the president as an “existential threat to democracy,” and accused her of using language that could potentially incite violence against President Trump and his supporters.
Tim Walz, the former vice-presidential candidate for 2024 and the outgoing governor of Minnesota, issued a standard statement remarking that “political violence has become all too prevalent in America,” reflecting a sentiment echoed by many in the wake of the incident.
Few Democrats can claim to have attempted to sow more fear in Americans about President Trump than Walz, who has routinely compared him and his administration to fascists and Nazis.
“No one has ever been more dangerous to this country than Donald Trump, and he is a fascist to his core,” he said during a campaign rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin, in 2024.
In response to the attack, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), issued a statement saying only that he was “monitoring the unfolding situation” at the gala and that he was “grateful” for the work of law enforcement.
RNC Research points out that Schumer has yet to condemn the “radical leftist” who tried to assassinate the president.
Brooklyn Democratic Congressman Hakeem Jeffries thanked law enforcement and proclaimed “the violence and chaos in America must end” on X.
Just three days earlier, Jeffries called for “maximum warfare” against President Trump and the administration.
