White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday told reporters that President Donald Trump and his administration expressed deep gratitude to law enforcement following another assassination attempt against the president.
"This is the third major assassination attempt against President Trump in two years. No other president in history has faced such repeated, serious attempts on his life," Leavitt said.
She emphasized that the president, first lady, and White House staff are "extraordinarily grateful" to law enforcement officers who acted quickly to stop the suspect and ensure safety.
"The president would especially like to express his gratitude to the men and women of the United States Secret Service, who acted with the utmost professionalism, courage, and sense of duty," Leavitt said, highlighting in particular an agent who was shot during the incident. "This includes the heroic agent who took a bullet to the chest. Thankfully, he was saved by his bulletproof vest."
Leavitt noted that shortly after returning to the Oval Office, Trump sought to personally check on the injured agent.
"Ahead of addressing you here in the briefing room, President Trump was intent on speaking to this brave agent to ensure he was OK, and the agent assured the president that he was," she said.
According to Leavitt, the president initially resisted leaving the Saturday evening event despite security concerns, underscoring what she described as his determination to continue engaging with the public.
While praising Trump's response, Leavitt addressed broader concerns about political violence in the country.
"We are blessed to have a fearless president, but we should not live in a country where such constant fear of political violence permeates our society every single day," she said.
Leavitt called for disagreements to remain peaceful, even amid sharp political divisions.
"We can and we should have fierce disagreement in this country," she said. "But those disagreements must remain peaceful. Debating, peaceful protesting, and voting are how we need to settle disagreements — not bullets."
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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