Donald Trump compared himself to former US President Abraham Lincoln after a shooting disrupted the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, reflecting on assassination attempts against prominent leaders. “I ask respectfully, why do you think this keeps happening to you?” a reporter asked Trump following the incident.
“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.”
On April 14, 1865, Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, was shot at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., one month into his second term and towards the conclusion of the American Civil War.
“I hate to say I’m honored 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.”
The remarks came after Trump and other top U.S. leaders were evacuated from the annual White House Correspondents’ dinner on Saturday night following a shooting outside the venue in Washington.
When asked whether the shooting was linked to tensions with Iran, Trump said, “Don’t think so,” adding, “Incident won’t deter me from win in Iran war.”
Trump also criticised the venue, the Washington Hilton hotel, saying it lacked strong security. “We looked at all of the conditions that took place tonight, and I will say, you know, it’s not a particularly secure building,” he said.
Trump has survived two assassination attempts over the past two years – first at a presidential election campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024, and later in Palm Beach, Florida, on September 15, 2024.
Asked how Saturday’s incident impacts him as the US president, Trump told reporters he is in a dangerous job but that he is no “basket case.” “I like not to think about it. I lead a pretty normal life, considering, you know, it’s a dangerous life. I think I handle it as well as it can be handled,” Trump said.
US President Donald Trump and other top officials were evacuated unharmed from the annual dinner of White House correspondents after a man armed with multiple weapons fired shots outside the ballroom of the hotel. The incident took place at around 8:34 PM local time when dinner was served. At that time, Trump was seen having a conversation with Weijia Jiang, the President of the White House Correspondents' Association, and mentalist Oz Pearlman, who was scheduled to present a show at the marquee event at the Washington Hilton.
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