Washington in shock after White House press dinner shooting: ‘an angry, polarized nation’

An officer stands guard outside the White House in Washington DC on 26 April, a day after a shooting incident occurred at the Washington Hilton hotel. Photograph: Kylie Cooper/ReutersView image in fullscreenAn officer stands guard outside the White House in Washington DC on 26 April, a day after a shooting incident occurred at the Washington Hilton hotel. Photograph: Kylie Cooper/ReutersWhite House correspondents' dinner shootingWashington in shock after White House press dinner shooting: ‘an angry, polarized nation’Questions raised about political violence, security and gun control after brazen attack at event attended by top officials White House press dinner shooting aftermath – latest updates David Smith in WashingtonSun 26 Apr 2026 14.46 EDTLast modified on Sun 26 Apr 2026 16.35 EDTSharePrefer the Guardian on GoogleA stunned Washington faced searching questions about political violence and gun control on Sunday after shots were fired at a prestigious media gala attended by Donald Trump and senior White House officials.A man targeted a Secret Service agent at a security checkpoint in the Washington Hilton hotel the previous night before being tackled and arrested. Trump and Melania Trump were rushed out of the annual White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) dinner as guests dived for cover under tables.The chaotic events raised fresh questions about the security of top officials, many of whom were gathered in the hotel’s expansive ballroom. Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general, told NBC’s Meet the Press programme: “It does appear that he did in fact, have set out to target folks that work in the administration, likely including the president.”The brazen assault at the Hilton – the same hotel where then president Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981 – also occurred against a backdrop of surging political violence and an epidemic of gun violence in the US.Trump himself has often been criticised as an accelerant of vitriolic and incendiary discourse. Over the past 10 years he has called on a crowd to “knock the crap out” of protesters, urged supporters to “fight like hell” following his 2020 election defeat and mused that crime could be ended in “one really violent day” if police were allowed to be “extraordinarily rough” without fear of retribution.White House press dinner shooting suspect could be charged with trying to assassinate Trump, says BlancheRead moreSpeaking from the White House briefing room on Saturday, while still in black-tie attire, the president characterised the gunman as a “very sick person” and a “lone wolf, whack job”, adding: “These are crazy people, and they have to be dealt with.”When pressed by a reporter on whether political violence has simply become the cost of doing business in modern America, the president said with an air of resignation: “It’s a dangerous profession.”But such a notion prompted fresh soul searching among Washington’s political class. Lanhee Chen, a fellow at the Hoover Institution thinktank in Stanford, California, told Meet the Press: “Political violence does seem to have become a part of doing business but it should not be normal. It should not be normalised and that is something we should not lose sight of. And ultimately, it is incumbent upon public leaders to set the right tone.“I thought the president did that in his press conference last night. I think it’s important for others to follow suit. But ultimately, we should not say that, ‘Hey, we’re used to this. It’s America.…

This excerpt is published under fair use for community discussion. Read the full article at the Guardian.