Trump shooting latest: Jimmy Kimmel hits back at Melania and labels president to blame for ‘hateful and violent rhetoric’

Less than 48 hours after the president praised the “unified” reaction of journalists present when a gunman attempted to storm the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, his press secretary Karoline Leavitt blamed top Democrats and the American press for the attempted assassination.

Speaking at a press briefing on Monday, Leavitt blamed the latest instance of political violence in the U.S. on what she called “systemic demonization of [Trump] and his supporters by commentators, by elected members of the Democrat Party and even some in the media.

“This hateful and constant and violent rhetoric directed at President Trump, day after day after day for 11 years, has helped to legitimize this violence and bring us to this dark moment,” Leavitt said.

She argued that Americans “who constantly falsely label and slander the President as a fascist, as a threat to democracy and compare him to Hitler” are “fueling” violence as part of a “left wing cult of hatred against the president and all of those who support him and work for him.”

Here’s Maira Butt with a moment-by-moment recap of how Saturday night’s shocking events played out.

Cole Tomas Allen, the suspect in the attack, appeared in federal court Monday to face three charges: attempting to assassinate the president, transporting a firearm across state lines with intent to commit a felony, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.

If ultimately found guilty, he could face life in prison on the first count, and up to 10 years for each of the remaining two offenses.

Allen, 31, did not enter a plea and more charges are expected in the days ahead. He is expected back in court Thursday.

After Melania attacked the comic in a statement yesterday, her husband entered the fray with a post on Truth Social echoing her call for his dismissal – seven months on from helping to force a brief suspension against Kimmel after he made comments about the late Charlie Kirk that offended conservatives.

Slamming the late night host as “in no way funny as attested to by his terrible Television Ratings,” Trump raged: “I appreciate that so many people are incensed by Kimmel’s despicable call to violence, and normally would not be responsive to anything that he said but, this is something far beyond the pale.

“Jimmy Kimmel should be immediately fired by Disney and ABC. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

The late night star has insisted his “widow” joke about first lady Melania Trump was not “a call to assassination” after President Donald Trump said he should be “immediately fired” over the remarks.

Kimmel began his program Jimmy Kimmel Live! Monday by describing the joke as a light roast about the couple’s age difference and “not, by any stretch of the definition, a call to assassination.”

Kimmel’s explanation for the joke came after a gunman attempted to storm the White House Correspondents’ Dinner Saturday night.

Days before the incident, Kimmel did a sketch about the dinner where he joked that Melania had a “glow like an expectant widow.”

In Monday’s monologue, Kimmel expressed sympathy with the president and those in attendance at the event who went through the traumatic and scary experience.

“The system worked. Could it be much better? Yes,” Bobby McDonald, who protected then-presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, told The Independent on Monday. “We had a positive outcome, not a successful one.”

The dinner was thrown into chaos after the suspected lone gunman, identified as Cole Tomas Allen, allegedly rushed past security and fired at least one gunshot. The suspected shooter was targeting members of the Trump administration, he wrote in a message to family members before the attack, according to court documents.