President Donald Trump struck a subdued and unusually conciliatory tone after what he described as a third attempt on his life in under two years. While suggesting his politics had made him a repeated target, he also called for unity and bipartisan healing amid rising violence.
“It’s always shocking when something like this happens. Happened to me, a little bit. And that never changes,” a subdued Trump told reporters at a hastily arranged White House news conference late Saturday. Shortly before, a man armed with guns and knives had tried to breach the security perimeter at a Washington hotel where Trump was due to speak at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.
Authorities are in the early stages of investigating the incident and have not yet determined a motive. The suspect was taken into custody and identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California. Trump said he was undoubtedly the target, describing the presidency as “a dangerous profession.” He also suggested it was a sign of how successful his presidency has been, comparing himself to Abraham Lincoln.
Trump called for Americans to put aside their differences and unite, a break from his usual combative political style. “We have to, we have to resolve our differences,” the president said. However, by Sunday morning, Trump was using the incident to promote the White House ballroom project, saying on social media that what happened “would never have happened with the Militarily Top Secret Ballroom currently under construction.”
This pattern of calling for unity before quickly pivoting has been seen before. After the 2024 shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, Trump gave a speech at the Republican National Convention that featured a softer message, only to veer back into combativeness. Similarly, after a September 2024 incident at his golf club, Trump soon returned to attacking “radical” Democrats and “left-wing lunatics.”
