A bombshell sexual harassment lawsuit that sent shockwaves through the financial world this week has been branded a &#8220;complete fabrication&#8221; by insiders, as the anonymous accuser was <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/04/30/business/bombshell-jpmorgan-sex-harassment-suit-that-went-viral-branded-complete-fabrication-as-john-doe-accuser-unmasked/">unmasked</a> as former JPMorgan staffer Chirayu Rana.
The 35-year-old Rana, now a principal at investment firm Bregal Sagemount, initially filed the suit on Monday under the pseudonym &#8220;John Doe.&#8221; The filing leveled a series of lurid and sensational accusations against Lorna Hajdini, 37, an executive director on JPMorgan’s leveraged finance team.
The initial complaint, which went viral after being <a href="https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15776897/JPMorgan-executive-banker-sex-abuse-lawsuit-new-york.html">reported</a> by the Daily Mail, painted a dark picture of corporate debauchery. Rana alleged that Hajdini had turned him into her personal “sex slave,” claiming she drugged him with “roofies” and Viagra to facilitate non-consensual encounters. The suit was peppered with salacious quotes, alleging Hajdini told him, “If you don’t f*ck me soon, I’m going to ruin you… never forget, I f*cking own you.”
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Bombshell sex harassment suit against Lorna Hajdini, JPMorgan branded &#39;complete fabrication&#39; as John Doe unmasked <a href="https://t.co/Njh9k8GcNe">https://t.co/Njh9k8GcNe</a> <a href="https://t.co/26HxbeeOV8">pic.twitter.com/26HxbeeOV8</a>
&mdash; New York Post (@nypost) <a href="https://twitter.com/nypost/status/2049965116091752895?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
However, the narrative began to crumble within 48 hours. JPMorgan issued a scathing rebuttal, revealing that a &#8220;thorough internal probe&#8221; involving phone records and emails found no evidence to support the claims. A bank spokesman said, “Following an investigation, we don’t believe there’s any merit to these claims. While numerous employees cooperated with the investigation, the complainant refused to participate and has declined to provide facts that would be central to support his allegations.”
Furthermore, sources revealed a glaring hole in the lawsuit’s logic: Rana did not actually report to Hajdini. While the suit claimed she threatened to “slash his bonus” if he did not comply with her demands, Hajdini had no authority over his compensation or performance reviews.
“He has tarnished her with a complete fabrication,” an associate of Hajdini told the New York Post. While Rana was described by some colleagues as “socially awkward,” Hajdini is regarded as a “top performer” who spends her free time volunteering for educational non-profits.
The original court papers, which included claims that Hajdini referred to Rana as her “little brown boy toy” and allegedly told him, “I bet your little Asian, fish head, wife doesn’t have these cannons,” have since been withdrawn for “corrections.”
Insiders suggest the lawsuit may have been a high-stakes attempt at a shakedown. Sources say that before going public, Rana filed an internal complaint in May 2025 and attempted to negotiate a payout totaling “millions” to leave the company. When the bank refused to settle, the &#8220;John Doe&#8221; lawsuit followed.
Under U.S. law, court filings enjoy &#8220;absolute privilege,&#8221; meaning media outlets can report on the most scandalous allegations—such as Rana’s claim that Hajdini told him to “stop f*cking crying” during an assault—without fear of defamation suits, even if the claims are later proven to be entirely false.
Hajdini remains in her position at JPMorgan, while Rana’s career continues at Bregal Sagemount.

JPMorgan Chase Ahead Of Earnings Figures

Viral JPMorgan ‘Sex Slave’ Suit Unmasked As ‘Complete Fabrication’

Business

JP Morgan

Lawsuit

Media

U.S.

In her first public remarks since the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Erika Kirk delivered a sweeping and emotional response to critics. 
Accusing the media and broader cultural forces of fueling violence and distorting the truth, she blamed them for contributing to the climate that she says led to her husband’s death.
“Seems to me that nothing will ever be enough for the evil in this world. Our country has become unrecognizable,” Kirk said. “These people have perverted the truth to the point that they motivated the murder of my husband.”
Kirk framed her comments not only as a defense of herself and her late husband, Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, but as a broader indictment of what she described as systemic “indoctrination” and dehumanization in American institutions, particularly media and education.
“They have continuously tried to assassinate the president, and anyone who stands in their way is labeled hateful, racist, fascist and every other trigger word that is grossly dishonest,” she said, referencing multiple attempts on the life of President Donald Trump.
Kirk pointed to the alleged background of the shooter as a school teacher as emblematic of a deeper problem. “He [Charlie] didn’t trust the radicalized liberal teachers, and this past Saturday, it was a school teacher, of all people … that attempted to change our history for the worse with bullets,” she said. Much of Kirk’s statement focused on her experience attending the White House Correspondents’ Dinner itself, where she said she went in part to confront members of the press directly.
Kirk described the event as surreal, saying it was strange to see that “for one night, you’re able to put aside all of your differences for the sake of freedom of speech, and then by Monday morning, things will go back to being an absolute bloodbath.”
That sense of contradiction, she argued, was underscored by the chaos that erupted when gunfire broke out. “If you were in that room, you had no way of knowing what the status of the shooter was … it was just utter chaos,” Kirk said. “And so during an act of shooting, these journalists are using their phones to find moments to capture for clips.”
She accused members of the media of prioritizing content over safety. 
“They were so concerned about getting a video in a room with an active shooter that they could have accidentally … filmed themselves being shot,” she said. “Many of those people have become so desensitized that fight or flight became secondary to the opportunity of putting themselves into the story.” 
Kirk tied that moment to a broader critique of what she sees as a culture increasingly detached from basic human empathy, adding, “This culture we’re living in absorbs disagreement as a form of personal betrayal. It turns having an opposing viewpoint into a moral crime worthy of punishment.”
She argued that this environment leads to something far more dangerous: “If you strip someone of their humanity long enough, you will arrive at the chilling conclusion that they don’t deserve to exist at all.”
Kirk also addressed the personal toll of the past several months, saying she has been the subject of relentless attacks. “Every morning, I wake up to a new headline lying about me,” she said. “I have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/t-mobile-distances-itself-from-chief-switching-officer-druski-after-sketch-mocking-erika-kirk">comedians dressing up in whiteface</a>. I have people saying I’m not fit to be CEO, and I have Candace Owens claiming I murdered my husband.”
She reserved particular criticism for late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, revisiting remarks he made following a recent assassination attempt. “That is what Jimmy Kimmel did to the First Lady,” Kirk said. “He said that she had the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jimmy-kimmel-hits-back-at-critics-over-melania-widow-joke-and-refuses-to-apologize?author=Amanda+Harding&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Jimmy+Kimmel+Hits+Back+At+Critics+Over+Melania+%E2%80%98Widow%E2%80%99+Joke+And+Refuses+To+Apologize">glow of an expected widow</a> … just 48 hours before that nightmare almost became a reality.”
Kimmel is a familiar foe for Kirk, as in the immediate aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s killing, Kimmel drew outrage after <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/an-affront-to-human-decency-kimmel-ripped-for-falsely-claiming-suspected-kirk-assassin-was-maga?author=Hank+Berrien&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=%E2%80%98An+Affront+To+Human+Decency%E2%80%99%3A+Kimmel+Ripped+For+Falsely+Claiming+Suspected+Kirk+Assassin+Was+MAGA">attempting to link</a> the suspected assassin to the MAGA movement. “We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it,” Kimmel said during a monologue. 
He went further, mocking Trump’s public response to the killing: “This is not how an adult grieves the murder of somebody he called a friend. This is how a 4-year-old mourns a goldfish, okay.” Kimmel was suspended and later reinstated, giving a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jimmy-kimmel-returns-addresses-charlie-kirk-comments-in-teary-non-apology?author=Amanda+Harding&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Jimmy+Kimmel+Returns%2C+Addresses+Charlie+Kirk+Comments+In+Teary+Non-Apology">teary non-apology</a> on air for the rant.
Kimmel now insists his comment about Melania should be taken as “a very light roast joke” and “not by any stretch of the definition a call to assassination.”
Melania, for her part, sharply rejected that explanation. “Kimmel’s hateful and violent rhetoric is intended to divide our country,” she wrote. “His monologue about my family isn’t comedy — his words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America.” She went further, calling the host “a coward” and urging ABC to act: “Enough is enough. It is time for ABC to take a stand.”
For Erika Kirk, these incidents are not isolated missteps but part of a broader pattern — one she argues reflects a media environment increasingly willing to blur the line between commentary and dehumanization. “There has never been a president who has faced this many assassination attempts in American history,” she said. “And after each one, the reaction from the far left has been at best a shrug and in some cases a sick disappointment that the shooter was unsuccessful.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<a href="https://t.co/hJGlNvggZI">pic.twitter.com/hJGlNvggZI</a>
— Erika Kirk (@MrsErikaKirk) <a href="https://twitter.com/MrsErikaKirk/status/2049534498514383108?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 29, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
She also expressed growing distrust in institutions she once may have taken for granted. “I have to tell you, we have an even bigger problem when it comes to the systemic indoctrination and radicalization of our own citizens,” she said, again pointing to education as a key concern.
Despite the tone of frustration and anger, Kirk closed her remarks with a call for unity and a return to dialogue, something she said was central to her husband’s mission in founding Turning Point USA. “This is why my husband created Turning Point USA, so we could have civil discourse and debate and open dialogue,” she said. “Because when we stop talking to each other, bad things happen.” Quoting the book of Romans, she added: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
“I am choosing to fight for America, for my children, for your children, and for our humanity,” Kirk said. “By the grace of God, we will succeed, and America will remain what she was always called to be — a shining city on a hill.”

CBS News Town Hall With Erika Kirk

Erika Kirk Blasts Media, ‘Radicalization,’ In First Remarks Since WHCD Shooting

Erika Kirk

Politics

Social Media

The man arrested and charged with attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump last weekend took a selfie in his hotel room and monitored updates on Trump&#8217;s travel to the Washington Hilton.
Just minutes before charging through a security checkpoint — armed with a shotgun, handgun, and knives — Allen was watching Trump&#8217;s movements and arming himself for the occasion, according to documents filed by the Justice Department on Wednesday.
The court <a href="https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/28083136/allen.pdf">documents</a> include a photo that 31-year-old Cole Allen took of himself in his Washington Hilton hotel room, showing how he&#8217;d armed himself for his planned attack on the White House Correspondents&#8217; Dinner. The documents were submitted by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, as the Justice Department submitted requests to a judge to keep Allen behind bars as he awaits trial.
<div id="attachment_1086249" style="width: 1022px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1086249" class="wp-image-1086249 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Untitled-design-2026-04-29T094114.136-1012x576.jpg" alt="" width="1012" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Untitled-design-2026-04-29T094114.136-1012x576.jpg 1012w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Untitled-design-2026-04-29T094114.136-300x171.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Untitled-design-2026-04-29T094114.136-768x437.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Untitled-design-2026-04-29T094114.136.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 1012px) 100vw, 1012px" />Credit: DOJ</div>
The items numbered by prosecutors in the photo are believed to be an ammunition bag (item 1), shoulder holster (item 2), sheathed knife (item 3), and pliers and wire cutters (item 4). Authorities recovered an ammunition bag, knife, and pliers and wire cutters that are consistent with the items seen in the photo, according to prosecutors.
As he prepared for the attack in his hotel room, Allen monitored Trump&#8217;s movements on multiple websites, including Civic Tracker&#8217;s &#8220;Presidential Schedule&#8221; page, according to the Justice Department. At 8:27 p.m. Saturday, just a few minutes before leaving his room, Allen visited a media company&#8217;s website to view a video titled, &#8220;WATCH LIVE: President Trump, first lady en route to White House Correspondents’ Dinner,&#8221; the court documents state. On another website, Allen watched live media coverage of Trump getting out of his vehicle after arriving at the hotel for the White House Correspondents&#8217; Dinner, the documents add.
After leaving his hotel room around 8:30 p.m., Allen made his way toward the event. As he approached a security checkpoint, Allen threw off a long black coat he was wearing that concealed his shotgun and then charged through the security checkpoint and headed in the direction of a staircase leading to the ballroom where the dinner was being held.
&#8220;As the defendant did so, he held a shotgun in both hands in a raised position parallel to the ground. A USSS officer observed the defendant fire the shotgun in the direction of the stairs leading down to the ballroom,&#8221; The Justice Department states. &#8220;USSS officer and others at the checkpoint heard the gunshot. The USSS officer drew his service weapon and fired five times at the defendant. The defendant fell to the ground, was restrained by law enforcement, and was placed under arrest.&#8221;
Allen was not hit by any of the gunfire, but he suffered a minor knee injury, according to the court documents. Federal prosecutors did not say that Allen&#8217;s shot struck anyone. The Secret Service agent who was hit was protected by a bulletproof vest.
The Mossberg 12-gauge pump-action shotgun recovered by authorities after the attack contained &#8220;one spent cartridge in the barrel and eight unfired cartridges in the magazine tube,&#8221; according to prosecutors.
&#8220;An additional six unfired cartridges were attached with Velcro to the shotgun in a detachable ammunition carrier, and the defendant possessed another ten unfired cartridges in a small leather bag,&#8221; the court documents state.
Authorities also recovered a Rock Island Armory 1911 .38 caliber pistol, which was loaded with ten rounds of ammunition, and two additional handgun magazines loaded with nine rounds each.
<div id="attachment_1086279" style="width: 659px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1086279" class="wp-image-1086279 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Untitled-design-2026-04-29T100517.199-649x576.jpg" alt="" width="649" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Untitled-design-2026-04-29T100517.199-649x576.jpg 649w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Untitled-design-2026-04-29T100517.199-300x266.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Untitled-design-2026-04-29T100517.199-768x681.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Untitled-design-2026-04-29T100517.199.jpg 770w" sizes=" (max-width: 649px) 100vw, 649px" />Credit: DOJ</div>
<div id="attachment_1086285" style="width: 574px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1086285" class="wp-image-1086285 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Untitled-design-2026-04-29T100644.724-564x576.jpg" alt="" width="564" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Untitled-design-2026-04-29T100644.724-564x576.jpg 564w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Untitled-design-2026-04-29T100644.724-294x300.jpg 294w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Untitled-design-2026-04-29T100644.724.jpg 669w" sizes=" (max-width: 564px) 100vw, 564px" />Credit: DOJ</div>
The Justice Department argues that Allen, a California native, traveled across the country with the intention to assassinate President Trump, adding, &#8220;Had the defendant achieved his intended outcome, he would have brought about one of the darkest days in American history.&#8221; In their request for Allen to be held behind bars, prosecutors also pointed to his manifesto, in which he stated that he was willing to kill anyone at the dinner who stood in the way of his objective to murder top administration officials.
Allen is charged with attempting to assassinate the president of the United States, transportation of a firearm and ammunition in interstate commerce with intent to commit a felony, and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence. If convicted, he faces life in prison.

Cole Allen / Donald Trump

Chilling Hotel Selfie Shows Suspect Minutes Before He Attempted To Murder Trump

assassination attempt

Department of Justice

Donald Trump

Jeanine Pirro

Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel decided that instead of apologizing for his ill-timed, tasteless, and absolutely unfunny “joke” about the first lady looking forward to being a widow, he was going to double down.
The comedian said as much during his monologue Monday night after being trashed by everyone for days, including Melania Trump herself.
&#8220;I said, &#8216;Our first lady Melania&#8217;s here, look at her, so beautiful. Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow.&#8217; Which, obviously, was a joke about their age difference and the look of joy we see on her face every time they&#8217;re together. It was a very light roast joke about the fact that he&#8217;s almost 80 and she&#8217;s younger than I am. It was not by any stretch of the definition a call to assassination,&#8221; Kimmel, an avid Trump critic, insisted.
“There was no big reaction to it until this morning, when I faced yet another Twitter vomit storm and calls to fire me from our first lady,” the host added.
<div style="max-width: 728px; margin: 0 auto;">  <iframe style="aspect-ratio: 9/16; max-width: 220px; display: flex; justify-content: center; width: 100%; margin: 20px auto 5px; border: 0;" src="https://player.mux.com/Om9afaax3au8c2eT7fV8byzEd4JvTCQ8?metadata-video-content-type=short&amp;metadata-video-id=8173e85f-bad2-4eab-b362-ba288df1367f&amp;metadata-video-stream-type=on-demand&amp;metadata-video-title=Jimmy%20Kimmel%20hits%20back%20at%20critics%20over%20Melania%20%E2%80%98widow%E2%80%99%20joke%20and%20refuses%20to%20apologize&amp;poster=https%3A%2F%2Fdailywireplus-v2.imgix.net%2Fimages%2Fshorts%2F5c8f5834-8d0d-4dc2-8468-622fb138f4ae.jpg&amp;autoplay=false&amp;accent-color=%23DB3D3B&amp;primary-color=%23ffffff&amp;secondary-color=%23000000" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>
Critics pointed out how if it were Democrats in power, a “joke” like that about the president’s death mere days before an assassination attempt would be treated like a national crisis.
Melania did not mince words in a scathing X post she shared Monday morning.
“Kimmel’s hateful and violent rhetoric is intended to divide our country,” she wrote. “His monologue about my family isn’t comedy- his words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America. People like Kimmel shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate.”
“A coward, Kimmel hides behind ABC because he knows the network will keep running cover to protect him. Enough is enough.  It is time for ABC to take a stand,” the first lady added. “How many times will ABC’s leadership enable Kimmel’s atrocious behavior at the expense of our community.”
Kimmel’s fake roast aired two days before California educator Cole Allen, 31, rushed a Secret Service checkpoint at the Washington Hilton armed with multiple weapons. He managed to strike an officer in his bulletproof vest before being detained and transported to a medical facility.
President Trump and other high-ranking officials were evacuated safely from the event, and there were no fatalities.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also blasted Kimmel for his “expectant widow” comments and called on ABC to reprimand the outspoken host.
&#8220;Who in their right mind says a wife would be &#8216;glowing&#8217; over the potential murder of her beloved husband?!” Leavitt said.
&#8220;And having experienced what I did with the First Lady on Saturday night, I can tell you that she was anything but that. This kind of rhetoric about the president, the first lady, and his supporters is completely deranged, and it&#8217;s unbelievable that the American people are consuming it night after night after night,&#8221; she added.
Kimmel’s show was briefly suspended in September after erroneous statements he made about the man who assassinated Charlie Kirk. He issued a statement afterwards, but did not apologize.

Jimmy Kimmel

Jimmy Kimmel Hits Back At Critics Over Melania ‘Widow’ Joke And Refuses To Apologize

comedian

Melania Trump

Television

Podcaster Chuck Todd said Monday he plans to stop attending events featuring President Donald Trump because he no longer feels safe doing so.
Todd, a longtime Trump critic and former host of NBC&#8217;s &#8220;Meet the Press,&#8221; argued that being near the president puts people at risk.
&#8220;I&#8217;m not going to any more events where Trump&#8217;s at them. I don&#8217;t feel safe wherever Donald Trump is, chaos follows him,&#8221; <a href="https://x.com/ChrisCillizza/status/2048798698176446756?s=20">Todd said during a podcast with Chris Cillizza.</a> &#8220;If you decide to go into his orbit, you have become less safe. He does not care about your safety. He&#8217;s not going to protect you if you go into his orbit, because he&#8217;s always going to protect himself first.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
&#8220;I&#8217;m not going to any more events where Trump is at them. I don&#8217;t feel safe.&#8221; &#8212;<a href="https://twitter.com/chucktodd?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@chucktodd</a> <a href="https://t.co/LHi7T64mL0">pic.twitter.com/LHi7T64mL0</a>
— Chris Cillizza (@ChrisCillizza) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisCillizza/status/2048798698176446756?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2026</a></blockquote>
His comments come after federal prosecutors charged Cole Tomas Allen with attempting to assassinate the president at the White House Correspondents&#8217; Dinner, marking the third attempt on Trump&#8217;s life in recent years.
On the podcast, Todd also accused Trump of contributing to a climate of hostility.
&#8220;The guy doesn&#8217;t care when people commit violence in his name. He only cares when the violence is committed against him, and he does not see that he is a contributor to the atmospherics of the world we&#8217;re living in,&#8221; Todd said.
Todd&#8217;s comments drew pushback from media figures and commentators.
Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief Brent Scher said Todd&#8217;s comments reflected a &#8220;recognition from somebody on the Left of kind of what the vitriol against Donald Trump from the Left has created.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/BrentScher?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BrentScher</a> on Chuck Todd saying he will never attend an event where Trump is present again:
&#8220;[That] is a recognition from somebody on the Left of&#8230;what the vitriol against Donald Trump from the Left has created, a world where it&#8217;s not safe to be anywhere in his vicinity.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/h2FgQgDsfV">pic.twitter.com/h2FgQgDsfV</a>
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/2048861400286593134?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2026</a></blockquote>
&#8220;Never, ever overestimate the media’s ability to make themselves into victims,&#8221; The Daily Wire&#8217;s Megan Basham <a href="https://x.com/megbasham/status/2048834955967332466?s=20">posted on X. </a>
CBS News legal correspondent Jan Crawford also criticized Todd&#8217;s remarks as &#8220;not only wrong but stupid.&#8221;
&#8220;I was literally talking about this with one of my daughters this morning. She pointed out how anyone can walk into a wedding or concert or mall and start shooting,&#8221; <a href="https://x.com/JanCBS/status/2048914068992360743?s=20">Crawford said.</a> &#8220;We actually were in a safe space at WHCD. We were in a completely secure ballroom protected by layers of Secret Service. Most people don’t get that protection from mentally disturbed assailants.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
This is not only wrong but stupid. I was literally talking about this with one of my daughters this morning. She pointed out how anyone can walk into a wedding or concert or mall and start shooting. We actually were in a safe space at WHCD. We were in a completely secure ballroom… <a href="https://t.co/u2GzxHE1S7">https://t.co/u2GzxHE1S7</a>
— Jan Crawford (@JanCBS) <a href="https://twitter.com/JanCBS/status/2048914068992360743?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2026</a></blockquote>

Why Leftist Journalist Claims He Won’t Attend Trump Events Anymore

Chuck Todd

Late-night “comedian” Jimmy Kimmel is being put on blast by Melania Trump for a decidedly un-funny bit he did on Thursday about the White House Correspondents’ Dinner that’s even less humorous following the Saturday evening assassination attempt.
In his little parody, the Trump-hating talk show host said, &#8220;Our First Lady, Melania, is here. Look at Melania, so beautiful. Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow.”
The clip aired Thursday night, two days before a crazed gunman gained access to the event with the intention of not only killing the president, but taking out <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/manifesto-shows-shooter-was-willing-to-kill-everyone-at-correspondents-dinner?author=Brecca+Stoll&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=5&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=Manifesto+Shows+Shooter+Was+Willing+To+Kill+Everyone+At+Correspondents%E2%80%99+Dinner">everyone in the room</a> if necessary.
Melania did not take the &#8220;joke&#8221; lightly. Instead, she put Kimmel on blast, writing a scathing X post she shared Monday morning.
&#8220;Kimmel’s hateful and violent rhetoric is intended to divide our country,&#8221; she wrote. &#8220;His monologue about my family isn’t comedy- his words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America. People like Kimmel shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate.&#8221;
&#8220;A coward, Kimmel hides behind ABC because he knows the network will keep running cover to protect him. Enough is enough.  It is time for ABC to take a stand,&#8221; the first lady added. &#8220;How many times will ABC’s leadership enable Kimmel’s atrocious behavior at the expense of our community.&#8221;
Kimmel’s parody also mocked the Trumps’ marriage by pretending to introduce them to each other. &#8220;Oh, by the way, Melania, this is Donald. Donald, this is Melania,&#8221; he went on.
He also pretended to speculate on how Melania would spend her birthday, April 26, &#8220;She’s planning to celebrate at home the same way she always does, looking out a window and whispering, ‘What have I done?'&#8221;
As of Monday, the clip was still available on the official “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” YouTube page.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Jimmy Kimmel Roasts Trump &amp; His MAGA Minions at Our Alternative White House Correspondents’ Dinner" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GRjKhsJc95o?start=475&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The bit aired two days before California educator Cole Allen, 31, rushed a Secret Service checkpoint at the Washington Hilton armed with multiple weapons. He managed to strike an officer in his bulletproof vest before being detained and transported to a medical facility.
President Trump and other high-ranking officials were evacuated safely from the event, and there were no fatalities.
Kimmel’s hatred of the president has been on display for years, in his monologues and beyond. Following an ICE-related altercation in January, Kimmel <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jimmy-kimmel-politicizes-ice-shooting-debuts-trump-is-gonna-kill-you-t-shirt">had a shirt made</a> that said, “Donald J. Trump Is Gonna Kill You,” and suggested that this was the “new slogan” for MAGA supporters. Kimmel went on to disparage Trump’s response to the shooting, saying, “This maniac, he’s not just killing people overseas.”
His rhetoric, and that of other late-night hosts, has become increasingly controversial as leftist vigilantes ramp up their assaults on conservatives.
And it’s not just Trump – Kimmel’s show has been hostile territory for Republicans while propping up Democrats since forever. Disgraced former Representative Eric Swalwell (D-CA) launched his gubernatorial campaign on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” before suspending the effort amid sexual assault allegations.
A <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/late-night-hosts-targeted-conservatives-92-of-the-time-made-more-than-7000-trump-jokes-in-2025">report</a> published by the New York Post in December found that 92% of late-night jokes last year were targeted at conservatives. The full lineup of late-night shows included 197 liberal guests and only two who were conservative: Fox News’ Greg Gutfeld and economist Oren Cass.
NewsBusters found that Kimmel was the worst offender, making jokes targeting conservatives more than 3,000 times and focusing most of his ire on President Donald Trump. Of those jokes, 1,668 were about the sitting president.

READ IT: Melania Trump Responds To Kimmel’s ‘Hateful’ Monologue After White House Dinner Shooting

Entertainment

President Donald Trump wasted no time in getting back to business as usual after the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting, offering new details about the suspect as he recounted the attempted attack and took swipes at left-wing media.
The &#8220;60 Minutes&#8221; interview came less than 24 hours after a gunman, identified by authorities as Cole Tomas Allen, stormed a security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton, opening fire outside the ballroom where the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner was underway. The incident forced Secret Service agents to evacuate Trump, the First Lady, and hundreds of high-profile attendees.
Trump, reflecting on the suspect during the interview, described a man he believes had undergone a dramatic ideological shift. “I read a manifesto. He’s radicalized,” Trump said, adding that Allen had moved from being “a Christian believer” to embracing “anti-Christian” views. He also pointed to warning signs from the suspect’s family, claiming both Allen’s brother and sister had raised concerns about his behavior prior to the attack.
Law enforcement reporting aligns with parts of that account. Authorities say Allen sent a note to family members shortly before the shooting apologizing for what he was about to do, while expressing rage at the administration and outlining a plan to target government officials inside the event. Investigators believe he acted alone and had traveled cross-country by train before checking into the hotel.
Trump, however, struck a measured tone when asked about his own reaction in the moment. “I wasn’t worried. I understand life. We live in a crazy world,” he said, while acknowledging that the situation was inherently dangerous. He described initially resisting Secret Service efforts to move him, saying he wanted to understand what was happening before ultimately complying with agents’ commands to get low and evacuate.
<div style="max-width: 728px; margin: 0 auto;"><iframe style="aspect-ratio: 9/16; max-width: 220px; display: flex; justify-content: center; width: 100%; margin: 20px auto 5px; border: 0;" src="https://player.mux.com/fQSkLJE2RUMPc15bFXOZR3GLM3O8D01Ec?metadata-video-content-type=short&amp;metadata-video-id=85453f30-7e9c-46c7-8d4a-f2d4af364248&amp;metadata-video-stream-type=on-demand&amp;metadata-video-title=Trump%20explains%20delay%20leaving%20ballroom%2C%20says%20he%20wanted%20to%20personally%20assess%20scene&amp;poster=https%3A%2F%2Fdailywireplus-v2.imgix.net%2Fimages%2Fshorts%2Fb9c577c5-267d-43da-a689-217fdf976793.jpg&amp;autoplay=false&amp;accent-color=%23DB3D3B&amp;primary-color=%23ffffff&amp;secondary-color=%23000000" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>
“I said, ‘Wait a minute. Let me see what’s going on,’” Trump recounted. “Then they said, ‘Please go down,’ and I dropped to the floor.”
He praised First Lady Melania Trump’s composure under pressure, noting that while she had not previously experienced an incident of that magnitude, “she handled it great” and quickly understood the seriousness of the situation.
The president also offered a vivid description of the Secret Service response, emphasizing the speed with which agents neutralized the threat. “They were so professional,” he said. “They saw him, they drew their guns, and they took him down immediately.” At least one agent was struck during the exchange but was protected by a ballistic vest and is expected to recover.
Trump used the moment to defend the broader security apparatus, calling the response effective even as questions mount about how the suspect was able to breach an outer checkpoint while armed with a shotgun, handgun, and knives. “You can always find fault,” he said, “but those guys did a good job last night.”
The interview turned sharply confrontational when O’Donnell referenced inflammatory claims from the suspect’s writings. Trump immediately pushed back, interrupting and accusing the network of amplifying false allegations. “I’m not a rapist. I didn’t rape anybody … I’m not a pedophile,” Trump said. 
“You’re a disgrace,” he added, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/shorts/e596f118-f784-4ab6-9359-a2ca09320ac3?elementPosition=2&amp;row=4&amp;rowHeadline=Shorts&amp;rowType=Shorts+Carousel">directly addressing O’Donnell</a>. “You shouldn’t be reading that in 60 Minutes.”
Trump seized on the moment in his interview with Norah O&#8217;Donnell to zoom out from the immediate attack and point to what he described as a broader pattern of political violence tied to the modern left.
O’Donnell noted that the room included multiple figures who have either survived or been shaped by political violence, including Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — whose family has been marked by high-profile assassinations — Erkia Kirk, and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who was nearly killed in a 2017 shooting carried out by a leftist gunman.
“Well, you go back 20 years, 40 years, 100 years, 200 years, 500 years—it’s always been there,” Trump said. “People are assassinated. People are injured. People are hurt.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> on political violence in America: &#8220;It&#8217;s always been there&#8230; I do think that the hate speech of the Democrats—much more so—is very dangerous. I really think it&#8217;s very dangerous for the country.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/CBrCgDJiJL">pic.twitter.com/CBrCgDJiJL</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2048546040177983870?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
But the president made clear he believes today’s political climate is uniquely combustible, placing blame squarely on what he described as escalating rhetoric from Democrats. “I do think that the hate speech of the Democrats … is very dangerous for the country,” he said
At the same time, Trump struck a more unifying note when describing the immediate aftermath inside the ballroom. “I saw a room that was totally unified,” he said. “In one way, very beautiful,” referencing the shared reaction among politicians, journalists, and attendees during the crisis.
Despite the violence, Trump made clear he does not want the annual dinner, hosted by the White House Correspondents&#8217; Association, to be canceled. He said he has already urged organizers to reschedule the event within 30 days, insisting that “we can’t let a crazy person cancel something like this.” Trump did not attend the event during his first presidency and was not present for last year’s edition either, making 2026 the first time attending the event as president. “We’re going to do it again,” he said. “It’s very important.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
WATCH: Trump was heartened by the spirit shown after the shooting, wants the WHCA to run the dinner back soon.
NORAH O&#8217;DONNELL: I mention that because, again, his m&#8211; his motive. You brought this up. He had social media accounts that had anti-Trump and anti-Christian rhetoric.… <a href="https://t.co/OQWV8tuFOb">pic.twitter.com/OQWV8tuFOb</a>
— Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) <a href="https://twitter.com/BonillaJL/status/2048556214238208416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The president also hinted at future changes, including potentially moving the event to a planned East Wing ballroom at the White House, though that venue is not expected to be completed until 2028.
Meanwhile, investigators continue to piece together Allen’s motives, background, and movements leading up to the attack. While authorities believe he intended to target members of the administration broadly rather than a specific individual, many questions remain unanswered.
For now, Trump appears focused on projecting resilience—both personally and institutionally—after the latest in a string of threats against him. “These things have always existed,” he said. “But we handled it, and we’re going to move forward.”

TOPSHOT-US-POLITICS-TRUMP

Trump Explains Delay Leaving Ballroom, Says He Wanted To Personally Assess Scene

This article is part of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/introducing-upstream-a-lifestyle-and-culture-section-of-the-daily-wire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Upstream,</a> The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.
***
I was in the room at the White House Correspondents&#8217; Dinner when shots rang out and chaos followed.
I’m not a journalist. I was invited as a guest of The Daily Wire. I accepted immediately — why wouldn’t I? It’s an experience I&#8217;d never had. I had no idea how memorable it would be.
 I went alone, and as an introvert, the thought of entering a ballroom filled with 2,600 strangers and making small talk filled me with dread. This was small talk on steroids. Still, it felt like a cultural bucket-list moment. I’ve been to the Grammys, several Super Bowls, the MTV Video Music Awards (back when they were a hot ticket), and Coachella many times. These are the kinds of happenings you remember. Why not add this one to the list?
I got dressed up, had my makeup done, and headed to the hotel. My Uber couldn’t get close, so I walked the last six blocks in the rain. By the time I arrived, I looked like a drowned rat. Oh well, I thought, no one will be looking at me. Protesters screamed as I approached.
“F*ck you!”
“Pedophile!”
“If you go in there, you’re complicit!”
“Free Palestine!”
&nbsp;
<div id="attachment_1084513" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1084513" class="wp-image-1084513 size-medium" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/IMG_1766-300x225.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="225" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/IMG_1766-300x225.jpeg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/IMG_1766-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/IMG_1766-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/IMG_1766.jpeg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Credit: Clay Travis</div>
It was unsettling, but I’ve faced protesters before. I ran inside, showed my ticket, passed purse check and a metal detector, and went straight to the bar for a glass of wine.
I found my hosts: Brent Scher, editor in chief of The Daily Wire, and his wife, Cassie. The other guest of The Daily Wire that I’d share a table with was Jessica Reed Kraus of House Inhabit. We laughed about our soaked hair, ruined makeup, and now crooked fake lashes, then made our way to our table in the back of the massive room — true nosebleed seats, perfect for people-watching.
Despite my initial anxiety about the event, I was having fun.
“There’s Harris Faulkner.” “There’s that media guy. What’s his name? <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/brian-stelter">Brian Stelter</a>!”
&nbsp;
<div id="attachment_1084515" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1084515" class="size-medium wp-image-1084515" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/IMG_1738-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/IMG_1738-300x225.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/IMG_1738-768x576.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/IMG_1738-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/IMG_1738-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Credit: Jennifer Sey</div>
We took photos and settled in as the energy built. We wondered what a mentalist would actually do on stage, and we wished the organizers had risked a comedian instead of avoiding controversy.
Then it happened.
Shouting. “Get down! Get under the table!”
Three loud pops. Gunshots. I didn’t know if they were in our room.
Is this really happening?
I dropped under the table, clutching the hand of a woman I’d met barely an hour earlier. We were teary-eyed but not hysterical. Two waitstaff huddled with us. One woman at our table kept her composure, calmly repeating, “You’re okay, you’re okay. Stay down.” Over and over.
We watched FBI Director Kash Patel rush past while we stayed low.
I never thought I&#8217;d experience anything like this. I work in fashion. As the chief marketing officer for Levi’s, I hosted some of the biggest parties at Coachella. Our worst fear was someone taking too many party drugs and getting sick. We never worried about gunfire.
Yet every major cultural or conservative event I attend now — Turning Point USA’s Young Women’s Leadership Summit, a Moms for Liberty event, and now the White House Correspondents&#8217; Dinner — carries the real risk of leftist violence. I knew it the moment I was under that table. Some deranged leftist believed he was a hero, just like the alleged killer <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/luigi-mangione">Luigi Mangione</a>.
I have a stalker who leaves threatening voicemails. Friends tell me to “be careful,” but what does that mean anymore? If a shooter can get <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/i-never-went-through-whcd-security-at-the-washington-hilton">anywhere near</a> the president at the White House Correspondents&#8217; Dinner, there’s no safe level of careful. You simply live your life and hope fate is kind.
I wasn’t with my husband or even a close friend. I had no idea how close the gunman was. Would he burst into the ballroom and start spraying bullets? I was in the back — perfect collateral damage for someone who views shooting at this president as a heroic act.
Eventually Jessica and I decided to run. We slipped out a side door and walked as fast as we could in heels. It was cold. My bad ankle screamed with every step, but adrenaline pushed me forward. We sat down somewhere, sirens blaring, still unsure what had actually happened.
We caught an Uber, but police blocked everything. We ended up standing on a corner with other women in evening dresses while National Guard troops pointed guns and shouted. I just wanted out. We eventually slipped around the yellow tape. I left the group and walked alone back to my hotel. Protesters and homeless people yelled at me on the streets, but it barely registered.
I finally reached my room, called my husband, and texted my oldest son.
I wasn’t in real danger; the gunman never reached the ballroom. But in those terrifying minutes, you don’t know that. You hear shots, huddle under a table with strangers, and wonder whether a tablecloth will be the only thing between you and death.
I went to the dinner to celebrate a free press and free speech. Instead, I ended up squeezing the hand of a woman I’d just met, huddled under a table, wrestling with the very real possibility that this might be it for me. I was certain it was a deranged leftist who believes violence is justified when it comes to anything connected to President Donald Trump. And that’s exactly who <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/manifesto-shows-shooter-was-willing-to-kill-everyone-at-correspondents-dinner">it appears it was</a>.
I gave up my career when I began advocating for open schools during the pandemic because I believe in free speech. I realized under that table that if I had to, I would risk my life for it.
***
Jennifer Sey is the CEO of XX-XY Athletics. She is an author, filmmaker, and retired national champion gymnast.

US-POLITICS-TRUMP

I’m Not A Journalist. I’ll Never Forget What I Saw At The White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

journalists

Political Violence

Upstream

White House

The man who opened fire at the White House Correspondents&#8217; Dinner Saturday has a journalist sister, The Daily Wire has learned.
Cole Thomas Allen, 31, charged a security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton Hotel but was apprehended by authorities before breaching the ballroom. His sister, Avriana F. Allen, has worked at leftist news outlets, including the Texas Tribune, CalMatters, and the Pew Research Center.
At Northwestern University, she was involved with the <a href="https://studio.knightlab.com/people/avriana-allen/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Knight Lab</a> and the publication North by Northwestern. A bio she published herself on GitHub, a coding platform, says, &#8220;I have a Bachelor of Science from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University where I double-majored in journalism and statistics.&#8221;
It said worked as a web developer for CalMatters since 2021, &#8220;making it easier for millions of Californians to be informed about the policies and politics of their state.&#8221; She posted to LinkedIn that she was laid off for budgetary reasons. She recently began working at the<a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/about/our-leadership-and-staff/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Pew Research Center</a> as a &#8220;Junior Tooling and Support Engineer.&#8221;
Fox News White House Correspondent Jacqui Heinrich <a href="https://x.com/JacquiHeinrich/status/2048409597749162144" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that the Secret Service interviewed Avriana at her home in Rockville, Maryland, on Sunday, and she told agents that her brother often made &#8220;radical statements&#8221; and referenced a plan to do &#8220;something.&#8221; She said he was part of a No Kings rally and a group called the Wide Awakes.
Fox reported that Allen sent his family members what seems to be a manifesto, and that his brother reported it to the police. His brother, Gabriel, lives in New London, Connecticut.
Pew Research Center did not immediately return a request from The Daily Wire on whether Pew had journalists in attendance at the correspondents&#8217; dinner and whether there is any suspected connection between Cole&#8217;s attack and Avriana&#8217;s work.
According to public records reviewed by The Daily Wire, Cole Allen&#8217;s father is Thomas Allen, an elder at the Grace United Reformed Church in California. The church has deleted its leadership page from the internet.
According to the New York Post, Cole left a manifesto that said his aim was to kill Trump administration officials, laying out his reasoning in Christian terms.

Avriana Allen

WHCD Shooting Suspect’s Sister Worked At Leftist Journalism Outlets

Shooting

White House Correspondents’ Dinner

Newly-released footage showed the moments after United States Secret Service agents tackled and subdued the man who attempted to breach security and open fire on members of President Donald Trump&#8217;s administration at the White House Correspondents Dinner.
The video showed agents first attempting to get through a door, and then, once the door was opened, several other agents could be seen walking around the suspect — who by then was lying facedown on the floor, his arms twisted and tied behind his back.
&#8220;Open the door! Open the door!&#8221; one agent can be heard shouting before the camera pans to show the suspect.  <iframe style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; max-width: 100%; width: 100%; margin: 20px auto 5px; border: 0;" src="https://player.mux.com/wqjSFXZZRch01Qso98DVPHbAkENWtWqHx?metadata-video-content-type=short&amp;metadata-video-id=919ae34e-38d8-4f0c-b3de-a934bbbe26ca&amp;metadata-video-stream-type=on-demand&amp;metadata-video-title=WATCH%3A%20Secret%20Service%20tackles%20suspected%20gunman%20moments%20after%20shots%20fired&amp;poster=https%3A%2F%2Fdailywireplus-v2.imgix.net%2Fimages%2Fshorts%2F81fc09f6-eb7c-4c52-915d-33c94c2da71e.jpg&amp;autoplay=false&amp;accent-color=%23DB3D3B&amp;primary-color=%23ffffff&amp;secondary-color=%23000000" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
The suspect on the ground has since been identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, whose social media footprint includes anti-Trump and anti-Christian commentary and who has been linked to Bluesky posts calling for President Trump&#8217;s immediate removal from office.
He was apprehended on Saturday night after he attempted to charge through a Secret Service checkpoint at the Washington Hilton, where the event was being held, armed with a shotgun and a handgun in addition to several knives.
Allen was taken into custody, and although it is believed that he intended to shoot as many Trump administration officials as he could, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday morning that, thus far, the suspect has not been cooperating with law enforcement.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
“From what we&#8217;ve learned in our preliminary investigation, he&#8217;s not actively cooperating,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche tells <a href="https://twitter.com/margbrennan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@margbrennan</a> about the alleged White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooter. <a href="https://t.co/uxx8EM1AxF">pic.twitter.com/uxx8EM1AxF</a>
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/2048388680822218845?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Blanche also confirmed that at least one Secret Service agent had been shot as they apprehended Allen, but that he had been protected by the vest he was wearing at the time.
Allen is believed to have been staying at the Washington Hilton in the days leading up to the event, Blanche added. &#8220;We&#8217;re still understanding the security protocols that led to him being able to have firearms in that hotel.&#8221;

Gunshots Fired In Lobby Of Hotel Hosting The White House Correspondents’ Dinner With President Trump

WATCH: Secret Service Tackles Would-Be Shooter Outside WHCD

Here’s What Nobody’s Telling You About The ‘Missing Scientists’ Cases

Death

Matt Walsh

One hundred days into his tenure, Mayor Zohran Mamdani is discovering that the &#8220;hard realities&#8221; of governing New York City are significantly more stubborn than campaign slogans. While the city’s first Democratic Socialist mayor insists his faith in the movement is &#8220;stronger than ever,&#8221; his signature affordability agenda is already being methodically downsized, delayed, or derailed by the fiscal and political gravity of the Five Boroughs.
In a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glMM1XqRJfk">Sunday NBC interview</a>, Mamdani attempted to paint a picture of a city on the precipice of a progressive utopia. However, a closer look at the numbers — and the mayor’s own retreating rhetoric —suggests a leader using ideology to mask a growing list of logistical roadblocks and unfulfillable promises.
During his campaign, Mamdani’s platform was built on the bedrock of &#8220;universal childcare,&#8221; a promise to provide free care for every child from six weeks to five years old. Today, that &#8220;universal&#8221; promise has been replaced by a &#8220;2-Care&#8221; pilot program that covers just 2,000 children in five school districts.
When pressed on the timeline, Mamdani admitted that infants and one-year-olds are now a &#8220;second term&#8221; problem. &#8220;They will see full universal child care for two year olds by the end of the first term, and then in the second term, we would pursue fulfilling that for one year olds and those from six weeks and above,&#8221; Mamdani said.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Zohran Mamdani: ‘I believe in’ democratic socialism ‘even more than I did’ before election" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/glMM1XqRJfk?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
For a mayor who campaigned on the &#8220;urgency&#8221; of the working class, a four-to-eight-year waiting list for a core campaign promise looks less like a plan and more like a stall tactic. As independent political expert J.C. Polanco told <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/04/10/us-news/mamdanis-viral-campaign-promises-sputter-out-in-first-100-days-big-difference-between-campaigning-governing/">The New York Post</a>, &#8220;These are false promises that got him elected.&#8221;
Mamdani’s catchy &#8220;Fast and Free&#8221; bus mantra has also hit a significant speed bump. Despite his campaign rhetoric, the mayor recently conceded that free buses won&#8217;t happen this year. Instead, he is eyeing a <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/04/08/us-news/zohran-mamdani-backs-down-on-campaign-promise-of-free-nyc-buses/">pared-down pilot program</a> that would make only a handful of lines free, a far cry from the citywide transformation he pitched to voters.
While Mamdani claims he is absolutely committed to making buses fast and free, Metropolitan Transportation Authority CEO Janno Lieber has already cast the plan as half-baked, and Governor Kathy Hochul has signaled her priorities lie elsewhere. In the interview, Mamdani pivoted to &#8220;Fast&#8221; as a consolation prize, bragging about putting &#8220;six minutes back into the lives&#8221; of commuters, while the &#8220;free&#8221; part remains stuck in legislative traffic in Albany.
Mamdani inherited what he calls the largest fiscal crisis since the Great Recession, yet his solution remains tethered to a controversial <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tax-day-a-feast-of-envy-for-democrats">pied-à-terre tax</a> that has received a chilly reception from state leaders. Despite a looming $5.4 billion budget shortfall, the mayor dismissed concerns that his tax-the-wealthy strategy would alienate the taxpayers who fund the city. &#8220;I have fought for a vision that looks to ask those with the most to pay a little bit more here so that everyone can live here,&#8221; Mamdani insisted.
However, as Steven Fulop of the Partnership for NYC noted to the Post, this strategy risks &#8220;alienating the very businesses and taxpayers that fund the city’s budget.&#8221;
Perhaps the most telling part of Mamdani’s performance is his relationship with President Donald Trump. While the mayor’s base views the president as a central antagonist, Mamdani described their relationship as &#8220;honest, direct, and productive.&#8221;
Mamdani recounted an <a href="https://apnews.com/article/columbia-university-student-dhs-ice-f76e678d014680390322703d46eb3b9c">instance</a> where he successfully lobbied the President to release a detained Columbia University student. Yet, in the same breath, he described the very agency the President oversees as &#8220;cruel&#8221; and &#8220;inhumane.&#8221; 
When the conversation turned to the fractured state of the Democratic Party, Mamdani was quick to distance himself from the establishment — including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) — while not backing his leftwing compatriots either. 
Refusing to endorse Schumer or address a potential challenge from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Mamdani instead pivoted back to ideological nostalgia. &#8220;When you look back at the history books of our party, 100 years ago, we had a very clear vision of what we were fighting for,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It is sad that for too many Americans &#8230; they have to turn to a history book.&#8221;
To conclude the interview Mamdani reassured the audience that his guiding star of Democratic Socialism had remained steady, when asked if the &#8220;hard realities&#8221; of the budget had dampened his fervor, Mamdani’s response was defiant: &#8220;I believe in [Democratic Socialism] even more than I did the day before.&#8221;
But as former city Comptroller Scott Stringer observed, for those expecting a revolution, &#8220;the revolution is over.&#8221; New Yorkers are left with a mayor who, 100 days in, is already asking for a second term to deliver on the promises of the first. If the current trajectory holds, Mamdani’s bold vision may remain exactly where he suggested people look for the Democratic Party’s ambition: in the history books.

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Zohran Mamdani

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