Rhetoric under fire as White House shooting sparks partisan blame

After a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner during which Trump was targeted, both parties traded blame over political rhetoric. Trump praised unity but said Democratic and media hate speech helped fuel violence, while Democrats condemned the incident and highlighted Trump’s own inflammatory past. Prosecutors charged Cole Tomas Allen with attempting to assassinate Trump; investigators noted his manifesto-like emails and radicalized writings. The episode reignites debate over whether leaders’ rhetoric contributes to political violence and how both sides should condemn such acts.