US President Donald Trump struck a philosophical tone on Saturday after a shooter rushed a media gala in Washington, the latest in a series of incidents to target the Republican leader.
“I ask respectfully, why do you think this keeps happening to you?” a reporter asked Trump after the chaotic incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
‘I’ve studied assassinations’ – Trump
Trump had a ready answer, and it was about the 79-year-old’s own position in the pantheon of US presidents.
“Well, you know, I’ve studied assassinations,” Trump said. “And I must tell you the most impactful people, the people that do the most – you take a look at Abraham Lincoln… the people that make the biggest impact, they’re the ones that they go after.”
“I hate to say I’m honoured by that, but I’ve done a lot,” Trump added. “We’ve changed this country, and there are a lot of people that are not happy about that. So I think that’s the answer.”
Watch: Trump rushed off the stage at White House Correspondents’ Dinner
Shooter was ‘lone wolf’ and ‘whack job’
Trump said he believes the suspected shooter was a “lone wolf”.
“In my opinion, he was a lone wolf,” Trump said, describing the man as a “whack job” and saying he felt there was no reason to believe the attack was connected to the war in Iran.
Trump, who survived an assassination attempt at an election rally in 2024, added that “I lead a pretty normal life, considering, you know, it’s a dangerous life”.
“A lot of other people, you know, you read stories where they become basket cases. To be honest, I’m not a basket case.”
‘Tremendous amount of love’ after shooting
Trump, meanwhile, took a measured tone towards the press – despite previously calling it the “enemy of the people” – saying there was “a tremendous amount of love and coming together” after the incident.
He said he had been ready to give the “most inappropriate speech ever made” but would now be “very boring” when the dinner was rescheduled.
The shooting on Saturday, which Trump blamed on a “would-be assassin”, also caused him to riff on one of his favourite topics – the huge $400 million ballroom he is building at the White House.
Trump said the venue for the correspondents’ dinner, the Washington Hilton, was “not particularly secure” and showed the need for the construction of the new ballroom.
