It’s fine to call the US president a fascist or a despot – but this one line really rattled the White House

April 28, 2026 — 3:45pm

You have reached your maximum number of saved items.

Remove items from your saved list to add more.

Washington: One thing that struck but did not shock me about the response to Saturday night’s shooting incident at the Washington Hilton is how many people vehemently believe it was staged by the Trump administration.

Neighbours of mine were adamant that’s what happened. Whether it was to justify Donald Trump’s ballroom, or to generate sympathy, or some other reason, they did not much care. All sorts of similar claims were promoted into my social media feed.

Of course, there’s a lot of rubbish on social media. But my neighbours are not lunatics. They’re normal people who are part of the large population of liberal, progressive voters – and Trump haters – in Washington.

The fact is, the US is so politically divided that there is hardly an ounce of goodwill left for the other “side”, even in the face of a horrific act like the one that unfolded at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. The accused, 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, now faces potential life imprisonment after being charged with attempting to assassinate the US president.

It is the third time Trump has faced a serious assassination attempt after a bullet grazed his ear during an outdoor rally in Pennsylvania........

© Brisbane Times