Speaker Johnson: Dems ‘Have Incited Violence in My View’
House Speaker Mike Johnson expressed serious concerns regarding President Donald Trump’s security following the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner shooting on Saturday night.
During an interview on Fox News, the Speaker called for a review of protocols, noting past assassination attempts against the president since 2024.
“So President Trump calling for unity after the White House Correspondents Dinner shooting in various interviews here on Fox and elsewhere, including that late Saturday night press conference from the briefing room with his entire cabinet present. The speaker of the House is now with us, Mike Johnson, and sir, good morning to you. First time we’ve heard from you, and good to know you’re OK. We’ve got this iconic picture of you going through the back hallway there. Just give us your reflection about your experience on Saturday night, sir,” co-host Bill Hemmer asked.
“It was surreal for everybody involved. When the chaos ensued, I was up actually on a platform, that raised platform around the perimeter of that giant ballroom, and I was stuck in a group taking photos of people. So I didn’t hear the gunshots. And the next thing I know, half of my security team jumps behind me, comes behind me, rushes up, grabs me by the shoulders and pushes me out the nearest exit door, which is about six feet behind us,” Johnson added.
“And that’s where you see that photo where we’re going down that hallway. The other half of my team went immediately to go grab my wife, Kelly, and get her out of another door. And we met up about 60 seconds later. They took us to our motorcade, which is in the basement of the hotel. And we just sat in the trucks there and waited for the developments for quite a while,” the Speaker continued.
He added, “And that was a long while. It was quite a scene. I told the president last night, we talked at length, and I said, I thought your tone was excellent in that press conference right after that event, and the tone that he’s had since about that. It is a moment, a sobering moment for the country. We’ve got to unify. And we’ve got to handle these things together and recognize we’re facing, you know, real threats out there. It’s a dangerous time. So it’s time for us to stand together.”
WATCH:
Hemmer jumped back in and asked, “What we do know is that Susie Wiles is going to hold meetings on presidential security this week, and I imagine that cannot come soon enough. I want to share something that a Democratic senator, John Fetterman, shot out hours after this incident on Saturday night. On X, he said, ‘We were there front and center. That venue wasn’t built to accommodate an event with the line of succession for the U.S. government. After witnessing last night, drop the TDS, the Trump Derangement System, syndrome rather, and build the White House ballroom for events exactly like these.’ Are you hearing enough from your Democratic colleagues on the tone that Senator Fetterman struck there?”
“No, he’s a rare voice in that camp, and we need more of that. In fact, they’ve done the opposite. They’ve incited violence, in my view,” Johnson declared.
“I mean, you have some of the most prominent figures in the House and the Senate on the Democrat side, effectively, you know, calling for war. I mean, they use those kinds of metaphors, and it incites violence because there are crazy people in society, and they get radicalized online. And so we’ve got to recognize that. It’s time to turn down the rhetoric,” he continued.
Johnson added, “We’ve been saying this over and over, and not use that kind of language. I hope that this will be a sobering reminder for everybody about that very important cause. I’m grateful to Fetterman. He’s right. The ballroom will be a solution for this, because it’ll be on the most secure compound in the world. It won’t have hotel rooms above it, and it’ll have seven-inch-thick glass, for example, on the windows, so it’ll be a very safe environment to do events like this. We need a place. We have needed a place like that, and the president keeps pointing it out.”
The Night Claire Signed Away Her Marriage and Made Ethan Pay for Everything
""Ethan Cole’s shoe struck Claire’s silver suitcase before she had time to understand that he was actually going to kick it.
The Night Victoria Hayes Found the Secret Her Family Had Paid to Bury
"""The glass barrier struck the marble less than a foot from Victoria Hayes’s bare toes.
The Night Claire Monroe Dropped Her Ring and Took Back More Than Her Name
""Ryan Hale’s shoe caught the brass leg of Claire Monroe’s chair before she had finished sitting.
The Baby Shower Ended With an Arrest, but the Cruelest Betrayal Came After
"Madeline Cole slapped her husband before she had time to understand what she had read.
The Night the Ferry Lights Made Every Safe Place Look Temporary
"""Marcus Kane caught Sophie Reed by the handle of her pink backpack and lifted hard enough that both of her rain boots left the pavement.
The Letter With Noah’s Name Forced Emily to Question Everything Her Family Had Hidden
"Emily Carter found her seven-year-old son sitting on the basement floor beside a packed suitcase, and before she could ask why, she saw his name written across the front of a sealed goodbye letter in her mother’s hand.
The Night Lily Carter Stood Up and Everyone Tried to Decide What It Meant
""The silver serving cart struck the back of Lily Carter’s wheelchair hard enough to throw her right hand off the armrest.
The Birthday Cake Broke First, but the Family Had Been Cracking for Years
""Mia’s small fist closed around the silver cake knife before Rachel could stop her, and the next second the two-year-old dragged it sideways with all the clumsy determination of a child opening a stubborn drawer.
The Night a Red Safety Line Turned a Celebration Into an Accusation
"""Evelyn Carter flung the severed red safety cable over the black steel railing while she was still hanging outside the glass skybridge, and the metal clip struck the floor hard enough to make Margaret Hale jump.
The Drive He Tried to Break Was Only the First Thing They Had Buried
"Commander Mara Vance kicked the wheeled chair hard enough to drive its steel frame into Charles Rourke’s knees before he could snap the black drive between his hands.
The Night a Family Secret Crossed the Mountains With No Way Back
"""Victoria Vale slapped the unconscious woman hard enough to knock her head sideways against the white travel pillow and shouted, “Wake up, Elena—tell him whose grave you stole!”
Before They Left the Ocean, Someone Had Already Chosen Claire’s Future for Her
""The envelope tore before Claire understood that Margaret intended to destroy it.
The Boy Who Refused to Let Manhattan’s Brightest Room Bury Him Again
""Richard Vale’s palm struck the open evidence case hard enough to send it sideways in Noah Hart’s hands, but the thirteen-year-old caught the black velvet edge against his ribs before the silver-and-black recorder could tumble onto the marble floor.
At the Gala Where Everyone Watched, One Family Rule Finally Became Impossible to Ignore
""Natalie Brooks kicked the champagne table hard enough to send it skidding sideways across the black marble floor, and the two women gripping her arms let go when a dozen crystal flutes shattered at their feet.