White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the incident amounted to an attempted assassination of the president and senior administration officials, describing it as an attack “hijacked by a depraved crazy person” who intended to cause mass casualties.
She praised Trump as “truly fearless” and emphasized that political violence “needs to end.”
Democratic lawmaker Jamie Raskin, who was also present at the event, called for bipartisan unity in condemning political violence, urging leaders and citizens across the United States to reject such acts “regardless of where it’s coming from,” in comments to CBS News.
Authorities continue to investigate the motive behind the shooting, which took place at the Washington Hilton during the high-profile annual dinner attended by political leaders, journalists, and officials, according to dw.com
