Blanche, defending response to gala shooting, says media 'guilty' of incitement

Michael Wilner, Los Angeles Times on Apr 27, 2026

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WASHINGTON — Members of the media share responsibility for the attack at a media dinner this weekend attended by President Donald Trump and his most senior aides, the acting U.S. attorney general, Todd Blanche, said Monday.

At a press conference announcing charges against the suspected assailant, Cole Tomas Allen of California, Blanche offered a robust defense of the U.S. Secret Service response to the shooting, which allegedly targeted top administration officials and terrified thousands of guests in the crowd.

The shooter reached within mere feet of the ballroom entrance, armed with two guns and multiple knives, raising questions about the event’s entry requirements and the size of the security perimeter. But Blanche credited diligent law enforcement work for thwarting the suspect.

“Law enforcement did not fail. They did exactly what they are trained to do,” Blanche said.

The suspect had charged through the magnetometers at the security perimeter of the event, and he either fell or was tackled under fire from law enforcement officers, Blanche said.

Blanche blamed the press for rhetoric he said fueled violence against political figures.

“They’re just as guilty as a lot of people on X,” Blanche said, referring to the social media platform formally known as Twitter. “When you have reporters, when you have media just being overly critical and calling the president horrible names for no reason and without evidence, without proof, it shouldn’t surprise us that this type of rhetoric takes place.”

Blanche’s remarks echoed commentary from the White House podium just hours before, where Karoline Leavitt, the president’s press secretary, called for the rhetoric against the president and his supporters to be “toned down.”

“It is inspiring these crazy people across the country to target not just the president, but those who work for him and those who support him,” Leavitt said.

“Nobody is recent years has faced more bullets and violence than President Trump,” she added. “This political violence stems from a systemic demonization of him and his supporters by commentators — yes — by elected members of the Democrat Party, and even some in the media.”

Jeanine Pirro, U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, said at a press conference that Allen was charged with attempting to assassinate the president due to his alleged manifesto, which outlines his hatred of the Trump administration, and his decision to book travel to the venue all the way from California after Trump’s attendance at the event had been confirmed.