Shooting Disrupts White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Prompts Evacuations

An assassination attempt on President Trump occurred in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July 2024, where a bullet struck his right ear. The New York Times published an article on July 26, 2024, analyzing the bullet trajectory in that incident. Speculation persisted afterward, with some questioning whether Trump had lied about the injury, pointing to photos of his ear appearing intact.

The response highlighted the administration’s frustration with the online narratives. Historian Kathryn Olmsted noted that earlier presidential assassination attempts produced less disbelief; two attempts were made on Gerald Ford’s life in 1975 within three weeks, and John Hinckley Jr. shot Ronald Reagan outside the Hilton hotel in 1981.

Olmsted, author of Real Enemies: Conspiracy Theories and American Democracy, World War I to 9/11, observed that political assassinations were more common historically, leading to less suspicion of orchestration. She pointed out that the Secret Service improved security measures in the 1980s, reducing such incidents.

In those cases, the public often accepted the attackers’ motives at face value, such as Hinckley’s stated desire to impress Jodie Foster.

University of Florida law professor Mark Fenster, who studies government transparency and conspiracy theories, said social media amplifies visibility but may not reflect true belief. He noted that polls can capture casual opinions from those distrustful of Trump, without indicating deep commitment.

The theories surrounding the Correspondents’ Dinner echoed those after the Butler attempt, where some claimed it was invented to boost polling, though numbers did not rise.

In a separate development, White House workshops are exploring plans to reinstate Anthropic, according to Axios. The White House is developing guidance that would allow agencies to get around Anthropic’s supply chain risk designation. This guidance would enable onboarding of new models, including Anthropic’s most powerful yet, Mythos.