An Ohio preschool teacher has been dismissed from her position after a TikTok video in which she appeared to express disappointment that President Donald Trump survived a recent assassination attempt. Corinne Baum, who worked at BrightPath Bridgetown Child Care Center in Cincinnati, was terminated following the viral spread of a 20-second clip.
Details of the Incident
In the now-deleted video, Baum stated: 'There's a few creators on here saying like Friday or yesterday could have been the day. And then I wake up to that news, but not THAT news.' She then sighed and added: 'We're going to have to pay really close attention to what they're actually trying to distract us from.'
BrightPath confirmed her termination in a statement to WXIX, saying the organization 'does not tolerate and explicitly condemns any calls for violence.' A friend who answered Baum's phone described her as 'very distraught' and 'going through a difficult time right now,' adding that she declined to comment further.
Wisconsin Teacher Suspended
Meanwhile, a high school social studies teacher in Wisconsin is under investigation for a post on X in which he claimed to be 'not impressed' by the assassination attempt and suggested society should 'make Americans great assassins again.' Patrick Meyer, a teacher at Kaukauna High School, tweeted Sunday morning, just hours after Cole Tomas Allen attempted to storm the White House Correspondents' Association dinner with weapons.
Meyer wrote: 'I am not impressed with recent presidential assassins. It's f*****g embarrassing! Booth, Guiteau, Czolgosz, Oswald must all be spinning in their graves! MAGAA (make Americans great assassins again)! Sad!' His post appeared to praise the successful assassinations of Presidents Abraham Lincoln, James A. Garfield, William McKinley, and John F. Kennedy.
The Kaukauna Area School District placed Meyer on administrative leave, with Superintendent Mike Slowinski stating the district 'unequivocally rejects any conduct, expression, or behavior that may encourage, condone, or promote violence in any form.'
Community Reaction
Meyer's comments sparked outrage among parents and community members. Parent Jennifer Schaefer questioned at a school board meeting: 'What does this teach our kids? If you disagree with someone, we should just kill them?' Another parent, Naomi Dvorachek, called the remark 'totally unacceptable' and demanded Meyer's firing. Congressman Tony Wied also condemned the post, stating it 'does not represent our values.'
However, some former students defended Meyer, with senior Iris Bass saying he is 'a kind and dutiful teacher who values his students and fellow staff.'
The Assassination Attempt
Cole Tomas Allen, 31, was charged with attempted assassination of Trump in federal court on Monday. The incident occurred at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner, where Allen tried to storm the ballroom armed with a 12-gauge pump action shotgun and a .38 caliber semi-automatic pistol. Secret Service agents exchanged gunfire, and Trump and Vice President JD Vance were evacuated unharmed. Allen was injured but not shot; a Secret Service officer was wounded but survived due to a bullet-resistant vest.
Prosecutors have not revealed a motive, but Allen called himself the 'Friendly Federal Assassin' in a manifesto and referenced the Republican president. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt described the night as 'hijacked by a crazed anti-Trump individual.'
