US President Donald Trump said he had “studied assassinations” and noted that leaders with the greatest influence are often targeted, after a shooting disrupted the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington on Saturday evening.Trump made these statements while speaking to reporters after a gunman stormed the media event venue, sparking panic and a major security response.
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Trump reveals the face of the shooter; Thomas Allen pinned to the ground without his shirt and with his hands tied He watches
“I respectfully ask, why do you think this keeps happening to you?” a reporter asked Trump after the chaotic incident.Trump responded by linking the attacks to what he described as his influence as president.“Well, you know, I’ve studied assassinations,” Trump said. “And I have to tell you that the people who have the most influence, the people who do the most work — take a look at Abraham Lincoln…
The people who make the biggest impact are the people who follow them.”“I hate to say I’m honored, but I’ve done a lot,” Trump added. “We’ve changed this country, and there’s a lot of people who aren’t happy about it. So I think that’s the answer.”Trump, who survived an assassination attempt during a 2024 campaign rally, also spoke about the personal risks of political life.“I live a pretty normal life, considering, you know, it’s a dangerous life,” he said.
“There’s a lot of other people, you know, you read stories where they turn out to be bad cases. To be honest, I’m not a basket case.”Despite his often antagonistic relationship with the media, Trump adopted a softer tone toward journalists after the incident and said the atmosphere following the panic was one of unity.He said there was a “tremendous amount of love and togetherness” after gunfire disrupted the event.Trump also said he had prepared what he described as “the most inappropriate speech ever” for the dinner, but joked that it would now be “very boring” when the event is rescheduled.The president also used the moment to criticize security measures at the Washington Hilton Hotel, where the Correspondents’ Dinner was held, and renewed his call for the new ballroom under construction at the White House.Trump said the hotel was “not particularly safe” and that the incident demonstrated the need for the planned $400 million White House ballroom.
