Saturday night's White House correspondents' dinner ended in chaos as gunshots rang out, sending attendees scrambling for cover. Secret Service officers shouted at guests to 'get down' as Donald Trump and other officials were rushed from the ballroom. The event, traditionally a glamorous affair where Washington's press corps mingled with officials, descended into panic and fear.
Robert Reich, a former US secretary of labor, described the scene as 'of a piece with the chaotic tragedy of our times.' He noted that Trump has brought a 'grim hostility' to the relationship between the media and the government, having called journalists 'enemy of the people' and barred outlets like the Associated Press from the Oval Office.
Initial reports indicate one Secret Service agent was injured, but no luminaries were hurt. The gunman's motives remain unclear. Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche said the suspect could face charges of attempted assassination of the president, which would mark the third such attempt on Trump.
Reich linked the violence to the broader Trump era, citing not only attempts on Trump's life but also violence unleashed by his administration globally and domestically. He pointed to the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack, noting some dinner guests were in Congress that day. 'The violence of the Trump administration has resulted in thousands of deaths and injuries,' Reich wrote, adding that this does not justify the attack but reflects a more divided and hostile America.
