Snapshot: The Climate of Violence

A brief reflection on the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner

Federal agents responded after gunfire was heard at the Washington Hilton. (Photo by Nathan Howard via Getty Images)

The shooting last night at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner is a tragedy. The pursuit of political violence—and the spreading of chaos and fear—is a grave danger for a democratic society that counts on openness, connection and rational discourse.

I’ve made clear that inviting an enemy of free speech and journalism to this dinner—one who constantly exploits his power to attack press freedoms and journalists—was a bad mistake. But the last thing any of us should want is for an armed gunman to take matters into his own hands, to decide he alone should determine who lives and who dies.

But let’s make no mistake: As much as the gunman is utterly wrong and responsible for his actions, this doesn’t happen in a vacuum. For a decade now, Donald Trump has exacerbated a climate of violence, demonizing perceived enemies and often using violent political rhetoric to build animosity, deepen divisions and reap the rewards of growing hatred.

“If you go after me, I’m coming after you,” he threatened a judge and potential witnesses in 2023. “If I don’t get elected … it’s going to be a bloodbath for the country,” he said in 2024. There are so many examples of similar violent threats and dehumanizing attacks on people and groups as “animals” and “vermin” and “enemies.”

Stochastic terrorism is made possible by such hostile and demonizing political rhetoric. Troubled people are highly susceptible to this language. It’s what can push them to commit violence.

This is why it’s so critical to have responsible leaders who don’t fan the flames for their own benefit, nor act like a violent reality is something for us to normalize and accept. (“It’s a dangerous life,” Trump said last night about being president, after the ballroom was evacuated.)

Initial reports suggest that the 31-year-old shooter—armed with long guns and knives— may have intended to kill Trump and other members of his leadership team. Whatever his motivation, we should be grateful that he failed. Violence begets violence.

But let’s also be sure that any effort by Trump to exploit this event to further attack his perceived enemies and silence dissent is intolerable. The issue is not about which side a gunman is on, but rather what we as a society can do to tamp down this hateful climate. In a country with over 400 million guns, this could not be more urgent.

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