White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt made clear Monday that Democrat rhetoric is partly to blame for the violent acts directed at President Donald Trump and his supporters.
The Justice Department charged 31-year-old Cole Allen with three felony counts, including attempted assassination, after the California man allegedly charged a security checkpoint and opened fire at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner Saturday night at the Washington Hilton Hotel.
Allen sent a manifesto to some of his family members regurgitating stuff that sounds right out of Democrat talking points. Allen also attended at least one “No Kings” rally in Los Angeles, which is an event put together by former Democratic Capitol Hill staffers.
The event organizers described the one last June on Trump’s birthday, posting on their website, “No Kings is a nationwide day of defiance. From city blocks to small towns, from courthouse steps to community parks, we’re taking action to reject authoritarianism — and show the world what democracy really looks like.”
Leavitt said during Monday’s news briefing, the “Democrat Party has made their pitch to voters across the country that Donald Trump poses an existential threat to democracy, that he is a fascist, and they compare him to Hitler. These are despicable statements that the American people have been consuming for years.”
“So many mentally perturbed individuals are led to believe these words are truth and then are inspired to act on it,” the press secretary argued.
She went on to list several specific examples by Democratic officials spewing this highly-charged rhetoric, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
WARNING: The following video contains vulgar language that some may find offensive.
“The entire Democratic Party has made their pitch to voters across the country, that Donald Trump poses an existential threat to democracy, that he is a fascist, and they compare him to Hitler.”@PressSec lays out some of the many examples of Democrat rhetoric fueling violence: pic.twitter.com/0U5mnwArUp
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 27, 2026
“Earlier this month, he said, ‘We are in an era of maximum warfare, everywhere, all the time,’” Leavitt recounted.
Meanwhile, Senator Alex Padilla of California, would-be assassin Allen’s home state, said, “People are dying because of fear and terror caused by the Trump administration.”
Similarly, Sen. Adam Schiff, also from California, said, “President Trump [is] using a dictator playbook.”
Leavitt quoted Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, saying, “President Trump is making the country look like a fascist state.”
And U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver of New Jersey said, “We will not take this s*** from Donald Trump. He thinks he’s a dictator. We are at war!” the press secretary highlighted.
Leavitt also quoted Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who said, “Never before in my life have I called for mass protest disruptions. These Republicans cannot know a moment of peace.”
Last fall, Pritzker took several minutes of a podcast to liken actions taken by Trump and his administration to Nazi Germany.
“I think [Trump] needs to prove otherwise, because at the moment, he’s following precisely a kind of playbook that we’ve seen throughout history,” the governor said. “I also built a Holocaust museum with Holocaust survivors.”
“I’m not suggesting we’re heading toward a Holocaust,” Pritzker hedged, but then continued, “I am suggesting, though, that authoritarianism, which they easily recognize the early stages of, is coming upon this country and that people are beginning to wake up and recognize it.”
After podcast host Nicolle Wallace commended him for making the comparison, the governor dialed it back even further.
“I do want to separate myself from the idea that I’m calling him Hitler. … I haven’t suggested that Donald Trump is Hitler,” Pritzker said.
“I don’t think any Democrat has,” Wallace then responded, but that’s a false statement.
Last September, the Republican National Committee put together a thread on social media that included clips of several instances in which Democrats described Trump as a fascist or a Nazi.
The 2024 Democratic nominee for president, then-Vice President Kamala Harris, from California, when asked by CNN’s Anderson Cooper, “Do you think Donald Trump is a fascist?” responded, “Yes, I do.”
CNN: “Do you think Donald Trump is a fascist?”
Kamala Harris: “Yes, I do. YES, I DO!”pic.twitter.com/cARpgWhzIS— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) September 12, 2025
Her running mate, Democratic Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, said during the 2024 campaign, “No one has ever been more dangerous to this country than Donald Trump, and he is a fascist to his core.”
Leavitt concluded her thoughts on the subject of Democrats’ overwrought rhetoric Monday, saying, “When you have people in positions of power that are saying things like this every single day for years, you are inspiring violence by people who are already mentally ill.”
Democrats need to dial it back. Criticize Trump’s manner or policies if you want, but the whole “threat to democracy” “Nazi fascist” stuff has got to stop. It’s not true, and it’s inspiring violence against him and others.
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