# Companion Thread to Shots Fired at White House Correspondents' Dinner **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [April 26, 2026, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559 "2026-04-26T02:03:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/41 "2026-04-26T14:56:29Z")
NPR reports this morning that the shooter is not cooperating with investigators, so I presume he is not discussing anything about motives or opportunity, or intended target(s) for that matter. If he didn’t post about it anywhere, or write a diary or anything like that, we might never know. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/42 "2026-04-26T15:24:52Z")
I doubt it was staged. However, I do note that it got Trump out of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, while allowing him to claim that he was going to show up. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/43 "2026-04-26T15:31:04Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > Some of the weirdest people I know majored in engineering, computer science, or other STEM fields. The first moon hoaxer I ever met was a programmer. I had to take him to a nearby McDonald’s for french fries and a hamburger because, as his wife told me, that was pretty much all he would eat and that’s not what we were serving guests that evening. Huh. GIS Application Engineer here. I guess we types sometimes get too… focused on the desired result and not look at any of the intermediate issues. I donno. I’ve always, always worked on the intermediate issues (you have a database to design, a GUI to design, you have hardware issues). No, a miracle will not happen. “Cool idea, how do we get there?” was what I said. Not “OK. Do it.” ---
**Author:** ![doomtastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8c91f0/32.png) [@doomtastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doomtastic)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/44 "2026-04-26T15:32:16Z")
It did, but I have a hard time thinking that would matter when his daily screeds and numerous other appearances on camera haven’t seemed to. If it got to the point where he didn’t want to be there anymore, they would absolutely have made up an excuse after the fact for why he had to leave. edit: I guess what I’m saying (though not specifically to you) is, why go to the effort of staging an assassination attempt, when you can just do whatever you want, lie about it afterwards, and nothing of substance will have changed. Call it the lazy man’s defense. ---
**Author:** ![XOldiesJock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ec9cab/32.png) [@XOldiesJock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XOldiesJock)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/45 "2026-04-26T15:56:00Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > _If he didn’t post about it anywhere, or write a diary or anything like that, we might never know._ Surely he must have a “manifesto.” Doesn’t everyone? 🤪 ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/46 "2026-04-26T16:02:26Z")
Now that you mention it, I just had a pop-up from the AP saying that (according to the president) they’ve found writings from the gunman stating that administration officials should be targeted. Oh, and he’s also “anti-Christian.” ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/47 "2026-04-26T16:37:34Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > This latest “incident,” which just feels totally staged, especially with a Trump presser ready to roll out 30 minutes after the evacuation And with the press secretary literally saying “shots will be fired” shortly before the event. I’m not saying it’s staged, but it would be very easy for someone to (correctly or incorrectly) come to that conclusion. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/48 "2026-04-26T16:44:01Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I’m not saying it’s staged, but it would be very easy for someone to (correctly or incorrectly) come to that conclusion. An article discussing this: > **[‘STAGED’: Conspiracy Theories Are Everywhere Following White House...](https://www.wired.com/story/staged-conspiracy-theories-are-everywhere-following-white-house-correspondents-dinner-shooting/)** > > The word “staged” exploded on social media following the attack, as both right and left-wing influencers and anonymous accounts spread unfounded conspiracy theories. But then I saw this on Reddit…I’m on the fence. It sure seems unusual. Is Trump’s incompetence extending into the Secret Service and making them incompetent too? [![](https://i.imgur.com/mvO1vGm.png) ](https://i.imgur.com/mvO1vGm.png) ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/49 "2026-04-26T16:51:20Z")
First of all, I am skeptical that attendees are cavity searched. Second, there were metal detectors here. That is as far as this guy got. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/50 "2026-04-26T16:52:10Z")
[Key Question: How did armed man get so close to Trump WHCD event?](https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/26/correspondents-dinner-shooting-trump-blanche-00892236) The kind of thinking in the Politico headline above confuses me. The answer to the Key Question is obvious. The distance was determined by the location of the security screen point. As to whether this point was “so close,” it wasn’t a bad point. It rather was at a good point. Suppose that they had put the the security checkpoint at the entrance to the hotel. That would be less close. But there then would be whole bunch of hotel guests, past the checkpoint, who already have guns. There also would be sharp knives beyond the checkpoint, such as in kitchens. Last night was a Secret Service success. Period. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/51 "2026-04-26T16:53:04Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > First of all, I am skeptical that attendees are cavity searched. I think it is safe to say that is hyperbole meant to indicate that security is usually very tight. It remains that Trump somehow manages to get shot at more than any other president ever. As noted, Obama had no shortage of people who expressed their desire to kill him. How did Obama manage to avoid being shot at? Are liberal nutjobs just better at assassination attempts than conservative nutjobs who want to assassinate the president? There is a strong whiff of “wag the dog” in all this. Again…I do not know. But these continuous “near miss” assassination attempts seem unlikely unless the SS is incompetent (and I do not for a second think they are incompetent). ---
**Author:** ![doomtastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8c91f0/32.png) [@doomtastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doomtastic)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/52 "2026-04-26T16:54:40Z")
It’s like saying “How did an attempted airplane hijacker make it to the security checkpoint at the airport with weapons and being on the no fly list?” Because the security checkpoint is where they do those checks… ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/53 "2026-04-26T16:58:46Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > It remains that Trump somehow manages to get shot at more than any other president ever. Perhaps his spending cuts actually hurt necessary government programs? ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/54 "2026-04-26T16:59:15Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > Suppose that they had put the the security checkpoint at the entrance to the hotel. That would be less close. But there then would be whole bunch of hotel guests, past the checkpoint, who already have guns. In what universe does the Secret Service allow armed civilians inside, or outside for that matter, the secure perimeter? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/55 "2026-04-26T17:00:16Z")
What was the security perimeter here? ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/56 "2026-04-26T17:02:52Z")
Apparently inside the venue but outside the room where the dinner was being held. ---
**Author:** ![doomtastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8c91f0/32.png) [@doomtastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doomtastic)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/57 "2026-04-26T17:04:18Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > But these continuous “near miss” assassination attempts seem unlikely unless the SS is incompetent (and I do not for a second think they are incompetent). There was only one near miss wasn’t there? This was someone charging the security at the perimeter. The guy at Mar-a-Lago was just hanging out in a bush hoping for a shot. Was there another attempt? ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/58 "2026-04-26T17:05:41Z")
> [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > In what universe does the Secret Service allow armed civilians inside, or outside for that matter, the secure perimeter? Isn’t “outside the secure perimeter” literally the rest of the universe? How does the Secret Service eliminate all armed civilians there? Or do I misunderstand you? ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/59 "2026-04-26T17:06:17Z")
> [@Stratocaster](#): > > Or do I misunderstand you? Immediately outside. ---
**Author:** ![doomtastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8c91f0/32.png) [@doomtastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doomtastic)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/60 "2026-04-26T17:06:35Z")
> [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > outside for that matter, the secure perimeter? All the time? There’s no way to prevent people from having weapons outside the perimeter. To do that, you’d need another perimeter - and this guy would have been charging that one instead. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559.md?page=4)