The comments came after White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Monday that the “left-wing cult of hatred against the president” had incited the attack. Leavitt, in particular, highlighted comments that high-profile Democrats had made in the past as proof they were responsible for the rise in political violence.

“This political violence stems from a systemic demonization of him [Trump] and his supporters by commentators, by elected members of the Democrat Party, and even some in the media,” Leavitt told reporters at the White House press briefing on Monday. “The left-wing cult of hatred against the president and all of those who support him and work for him has gotten multiple people hurt and killed, and it almost did so again this weekend.”

Leavitt, in particular, highlighted comments that high-profile Democrats made in the past, including one last week by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) saying America was in an “era of maximum warfare” when it came to redistricting.

Jeffries responded to the criticism publicly while talking to reporters at the Capitol. The New York Democrat said political violence is “unacceptable,” but also admitted he was unconcerned “with so-called criticism from these phony Republicans.”

“I stand by it,” he continued. “You can continue to criticize me for it. I don’t give a damn about your criticism.”

Jeffries went on to say that Leavitt was a “disgrace” and “stone-cold liar” and the White House had no right to “lecture us about civility” given Trump’s pardoning of the individuals who took part in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. One of the individuals pardoned was later charged with threatening Jeffries’s life.

“Get lost, clean up your own house before you have anything to say to us about the language that we use,” said Jeffries.

JEFFRIES SHRUGS OFF WHITE HOUSE CLAIM DEMOCRATIC RHETORIC FUELED TRUMP ATTACK: ‘I DON’T GIVE A DAMN’

Other members of the Democratic leadership echoed the sentiment.

“If you look at what leader Jeffries says, that’s pretty tame. If you look at what Donald Trump says, it is quite violent often. And so you cannot equate the two,” House Democratic Vice Chairman Ted Lieu (D-CA) told the Washington Examiner.

Democrats have long claimed that Trump’s willingness to attack political opponents has fueled political violence, while Republicans have claimed that Democrats’ “Trump derangement syndrome” and their claims that the GOP is a threat to democracy have done the same.

“I think it is the case that right now, there’s an unacceptable level of intensity around our politics and look, the fact of the matter is, when I see what happened on Saturday night, it’s a sad day for America,” Rep. Gabo Amo (D-RI) said.

“Nobody should be celebrating with that, but I hope that my colleagues, instead of immediately pivoting to the sort of blaming, let’s like practice what we preach and I hope that comes from the highest office of the land, because that matters, that sets the tone for everybody,” Amo continued.

The attempt on Trump’s life at the correspondents’ dinner was the third in nearly three years. The president faced two assassination attempts as he campaigned for the White House in 2024, one of which resulted in him being shot in the ear at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

INJURED SECRET SERVICE AGENT FIRED FIVE SHOTS AT COLE DURING TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT

Other high-profile political figures have also been victims of political violence. Conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed in Utah last September while speaking on a college campus. Last June, Minnesota Democratic state representative Melissa Hortman and her husband were killed as well.

In April 2025, Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) and his family survived an arson attack at the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion by an antisemitic assailant. Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) husband was beaten at his home by an intruder with a hammer in October 2022.