California Governor Gavin Newsom lashed out at Stephen Miller’s wife, Katie Miller, after she blamed him for the latest assassination attempt targeting President Donald Trump during the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) dinner this past weekend.
For those unfamiliar, on Saturday, April 25, an armed individual made it past the outermost security layer of the event held at the Washington Hilton and fired multiple shots, injuring a Secret Service official, before being apprehended at the scene.
A law enforcement official later identified the suspect as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California, NBC News reported.
Following the attack, President Trump and his Republican allies blamed Democrats and their anti-MAGA rhetoric for the violence.
Amid the fallout, Katie Miller also criticized Newsom for the assassination attempt. Speaking with Laura Ingraham on Fox News, Miller, who was also present at the white-tie event along with her husband, Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy, Stephen Miller, accused Gov. Newsom of being “one of the worst offenders of this violent political rhetoric.”
The political violence in our country is spurred by the Left’s hateful rhetoric.
It’s no mistake that the alleged assassin hails from the State of California & that of Gavin Newsom.
Gavin is the worst offender of violent political rhetoric that sparked this man’s imagination. pic.twitter.com/xjWqkjxjSy
— Katie Miller (@KatieMiller) April 28, 2026
The California Governor soon responded to Katie’s attacks, labeling her statement as “absurd.” Posting from his office’s X account, Newsom said that the “finger-pointing from people like Katie who haven’t just tolerated, but amplified, Trump’s dangerous rhetoric is offensive.”
Newsom began his post by acknowledging that “Political violence is NEVER acceptable.” He further expressed gratitude that President Trump was “uninjured.”
Further, the post read, “The President has openly celebrated the deaths of his political opponents, called Democrats and immigrants’ vermin,’ ‘demonic’ and ‘evil’ ‘animals’ who are ‘poisoning the blood of our country.’ He regularly uses violent language, threatens to arrest and jail his political enemies — while describing the attempt to overthrow our democracy on January 6 as a ‘beautiful thing.'”
Newsom concluded his post saying that “the same folks cheering for Trump’s threats don’t get to rewrite the narrative now.”
What an absurd statement.
Political violence is NEVER acceptable. PERIOD. What Cole Allen did was reprehensible and we’re grateful the President was uninjured.
This finger pointing from people like Katie who haven’t just tolerated, but amplified, Trump’s dangerous rhetoric is… https://t.co/XhfJe9hqcQ
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) April 28, 2026
Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump were safely evacuated from the location moments after gunshots were heard just outside the ballroom, where journalists, politicians and other dignitaries had gathered for dinner.
The accused, Cole Allen, is a teacher and engineer from California, who left behind a written “manifesto” stating that he wanted to target officials in the Trump administration. A senior U.S. official told CBS News that authorities also found anti-Trump and anti-Christian rhetoric on the suspect’s social media accounts.
Hours after the incident, Trump posted a photo to social media showing a shirtless Allen on the floor of the hotel, with his arms tied behind his back after being detained.
A day after the shooting, Trump appeared on CBS News’ 60 Minutes, where he said that he was not worried while being evacuated from the scene.
“I wasn’t worried. I understand life. We live in a crazy world,” he said.
On Monday, April 27, Allen was charged in federal court with three counts, including attempting to assassinate President Trump. Allen did not enter a plea.
