Tommy ChristopherMay 2nd, 2026, 8:26 am

President Donald Trump launched a loaded attack on House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries less than a week after the White House Correspondents’ Dinner (WHCD) shooting prompted calls to tone down harsh rhetoric.

Chaos erupted last Saturday night at the so-called “Hinckley Hilton” when a loud noise that turned out to be gunfire unleashed pandemonium.

Suspect Cole Tomas Allen was taken into custody after rushing through the security perimeter and allegedly opening fire. Initial reporting that Allen was shot or killed turned out not to be true. President Donald Trump was not hurt in the incident.

In the aftermath of the shooting, predictable debates have erupted over “violent rhetoric” and which side is to blame for it.

But on Friday night, Trump blurted out a Truth Social post attacking Jeffries that at least one White House reporter called out. Trump wrote “Low IQ Democrat Minority Leader, Hakeem Jeffries, is nothing but a THUG, and he is a danger to our Country! President DONALD J. TRUMP” along with a photo of Jeffries holding a baseball bat.

The terms “thug” and “Low IQ” are extremely loaded terms, but NewNation White House Correspondent Kellie Meyer called out another aspect of the attack. In a pair of X/Twitter posts, Meyer wrote:

The President also posted a photo of Hakeem Jeffries holding a baseball bat and writing “Low IQ Democrat Minority Leader, Hakeem Jeffries, is nothing but a THUG, and he is a danger to our Country! President DONALD J. TRUMP”

After the WHCD shooting, the White House called on Democrats to stop the violent rhetoric. Many Democrats pushed back saying to also call out the President’s and Republicans rhetoric too. Here the President is calling Jeffries a “danger” to our country.

The president posted the photo hours after he gave a speech in Florida that included a shocking and unfounded attack against Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) based on right-wing claims that she married her brother

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