# 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:** 6
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/101 "2026-04-26T22:10:10Z")
Many school districts require teachers to get a master’s degree within a given period of time if they don’t already have one. He appeared to be a part-time tutor, not a full-time staff educator. Earlier today, it occurred to me that this guy may turn out to be some variation of the Unabomber v. 2.0. ---
**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, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/102 "2026-04-26T22:15:57Z")
You can open carry in Colorado. I have a CCW, I do not concele carry or open carry. It’s very rare, but once in a while I see someone carrying. ---
**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, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/103 "2026-04-26T22:45:12Z")
> [@doomtastic](#): > > 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. Good point. > [@wolfpup](#): > > if his intent was to use the speech for the usual self-aggrandizement and castigating the media for failing to celebrate him as the bestest president ever and blaming them for his plummetting popularity numbers, his appearance at the WHCD makes sense from his warped POV – an opportunity to air his grievances and dump on the media Also makes sense. ---
**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, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/104 "2026-04-26T23:11:53Z")
Trump has said that this event justifies the need for the ballroom he wants to add to the White House, and yet, the capacity of the proposed ballroom would be a whole lot less than the one at the Washington Hilton. (The one he’s proposing to build might hold up to a thousand people while the one at the Washington Hilton can hold more than twice that.) ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/105 "2026-04-26T23:25:24Z")
> [@DWMarch](#): > > Based on the manifesto I don’t think it was a false flag because if it was, the manifesto would not repeatedly call Trump a rapist and a pedophile. Yeah, if Trump’s people had made up the manifesto, they probably would have included a lot of language about how this guy was upset over Trump’s anti-immigrant and anti-woke policies, stuff that would make it easier for Trump to cast him as some far-left wacko, without rehashing any of speculation about his proclivities that he’s been trying to keep out of the news. ---
**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, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/106 "2026-04-26T23:29:51Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Many school districts require teachers to get a master’s degree within a given period of time if they don’t already have one. My (former) in-laws are teachers and they got advanced degrees explicitly to get a better paycheck. Union rules mandated more pay for more advanced degrees. I am dubious that they were better teachers for it and their students were better off because of those advanced degrees but that’s what they did cuz more money (which we pay in taxes). This is definitely a topic for another thread I think (if anyone wants to explore it more). ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/107 "2026-04-27T01:09:30Z")
I don’t think this guy is an administration plant. I think he legitimately acted on his own. However, I do wonder if the admin made sure he wasn’t stopped until he got into the hotel with a gun. Like, there was intel this guy was gonna hit the WHCD, but wasn’t gonna be a serious threat to anyone important, so why not just let him get in, maybe fire off some rounds, if he hits a member of the media, who cares (might even get the media on the side of the admin if one if their own gets hit) and then Trump gets to blather on about the importance of a secure ballroom. False flag and incompetence all in one! ---
**Author:** ![doomtastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8c91f0/32.png) [@doomtastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doomtastic)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/108 "2026-04-27T01:29:44Z")
Does Trump really need a reason to blather about his ballroom? He certainly hasn’t so far. That is an awful lot of effort to go to (with tons of opportunity for it to fail spectacularly) for very little gain. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/109 "2026-04-27T01:34:25Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > However, I do wonder if the admin made sure he wasn’t stopped until he got into the hotel with a gun. How could they stop him? Thanks to the Republicans on SCOTUS, it is legal for D.C. hotel guests to keep and bear arms. ---
**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 27, 2026, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/110 "2026-04-27T01:40:45Z")
I’d agree but the Trump admin has been able to slide by on any bullshit they say for a long time now. MAGA buys whatever the Trump admin says and there are a lot of MAGA. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/111 "2026-04-27T01:49:23Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Trump has said that this event justifies the need for the ballroom he wants to add to the White House, and yet, the capacity of the proposed ballroom would be a whole lot less than the one at the Washington Hilton. (The one he’s proposing to build might hold up to a thousand people while the one at the Washington Hilton can hold more than twice that.) Agreed, but I think what’s more relevant is that the security checkpoint for the Washington Hilton ballroom was adequate last night. I see no reason to think that the security checkpoint for the White House ballroom would be better or worse. As to whether the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) would use the White House ballroom for its dinner, capacity is one issue, but not I think the main one. If the U.S. continues to have a more or less free press, there is no way WHCA would have the dinner at the house of the person they are primarily responsible to cover. Only if the U.S. no longer has a free press would it hold its dinner in the dictator’s house. ---
**Author:** ![doomtastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8c91f0/32.png) [@doomtastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doomtastic)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/112 "2026-04-27T01:52:06Z")
Doesn’t that just reinforce my point? They got nothing here that couldn’t much more easily be gotten doing what they always do. There’s no benefit for them here worth having, and it would have taken _effort_ and _competence_ to pull off. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/113 "2026-04-27T02:17:52Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Trump has said that this event justifies the need for the ballroom he wants to add to the White House… Whatever else you say about the guy, you’ve got to admit he has an ability stay on message. Never mind that his message is batshit, and his ability to stay on it is due to mania… ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/114 "2026-04-27T02:26:52Z")
> [@doomtastic](#): > > They got nothing here that couldn’t much more easily be gotten doing what they always do. Creating distractions _is_ what they always do. People aren’t talking anymore about Iran or Epstein, after all. Whether they manufactured the incident or not I’m sure they are glad of it. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/115 "2026-04-27T03:06:38Z")
Can somebody with better access to this sort of detailed stuff confirm that the Secret Service physically removed JD Vance from the auditorium `before` they went back to gather & remove 45/47? And, if so, why would the security of principals be done in that sequence? ---
**Author:** ![JoePockets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8dc957/32.png) [@JoePockets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoePockets)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/116 "2026-04-27T03:20:59Z")
From what I seen of the video it appears there was no chance for get to his targets! He basically bump rushed the gate and was taken down 25ft afterwards! It’s amazing he is still alive to do a life sentence. Trump is right about saying the guy has to be a nutcase ! His only accomplishment is he sent 2000 people home to forage for dinner. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/117 "2026-04-27T04:13:04Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > [Wikipedia lists 17 attempts against Trump](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_presidential_assassination_attempts_and_plots), compared to 13 for Obama and 5 for both Clinton (one might have been directed at Hillary) and 5 against Lincoln. Oddly, the 17 attempts listed do not include the attempted assassination in Butler PA in 2024 which IMO, stands apart from all the rest. > [@penultima\_thule](#): > > Can somebody with better access to this sort of detailed stuff confirm that the Secret Service physically removed JD Vance from the auditorium `before` they went back to gather & remove 45/47? > > And, if so, why would the security of principals be done in that sequence? Looks to me like there was no “order” for the removals. They wanted to get them both out and Vance was more accessible and also Trump stumbled and halfway fell. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanubv.2/32/3260_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUBv.2)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/118 "2026-04-27T04:29:36Z")
All the commentary I’ve heard so far is that he was targeting “members of the administration”. I’m not sure if that jibes with his prewritten statement but having heard it phrased that way by different sources caught my attention. Makes it sound like it isn’t mainly directed at Trump. I stopped watching anything about it around 12:30pm, so maybe that’s changed. Did anyone else notice this? ---
**Author:** ![aurora\_maire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aurora_maire/32/328_2.png) [@aurora\_maire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurora_maire)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/119 "2026-04-27T07:19:53Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > Only if the U.S. no longer has a free press would it hold its dinner in the dictator’s house. The White House Correspondents’ Dinner is supposed to be a celebration of a free press holding power accountable. Yet they literally invited Trump to be the guest of honor. A man who has spent years calling them “enemies of the people,” degrading journalists, especially women, undermining the First Amendment, and turning truth into a punchline. They were prepared to sit there while he “joked” about how stupid and nasty they are. (Well, except for his right-wing media cheerleaders who would mostly get a pass.) Then you have Trump’s billionaire buddies buying up all the media conglomerates. I wouldn’t imagine any of them would have a problem telling their people to have the event in a “secure” White House space. Conflict of interest? Pfft. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/120 "2026-04-27T07:37:46Z")
I think that it is important to remember that the White House Correspondents Association (WHCA) is a private organization. They are free to organize their annual dinner anywhere they like, and to invite anybody they choose. Their invitees need not necessarily include the American President. If they choose to ignore him, then that’s their prerogative. Assuming Trump’s Ballroom had been built, I doubt that the WHCA would be using it. They’d likely continue to use the Hilton, as they have for years, and which undoubtedly gives them a rate, in exchange for continued business annually. If they invited the President, and he agreed to attend, but only if the event was held in the White House Ballroom, I can see the WHCA saying, “Okay, maybe next year. We’re at the Hilton this year. Call us if you change your mind.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559.md?page=7)