
Trump and the Washington attack: This shooting is different
From The Morning Edition by The Age and Sydney Morning Herald
April 27, 2026 · 21 min
About this episode
The episode discusses a recent shooting near Donald Trump and its implications compared to previous assassination attempts.
Within hours of the shooting, right outside where US President Donald Trump was dining at the Hilton Hotel in Washington, the American president was venting his anger. Not, notably, about the gunman firing shots in the lobby of the hotel. But at a journalist who read out what the suspected shooter allegedly thinks about Trump. Today Bruce Wolpe, a senior fellow at the United States Studies Centre, on why this shooting differs - in such a crucial and dangerous way - from the two attempts on Trump's life during the 2024 election campaign, and the reckoning that is now spreading throughout Washington as a result. Further reading: Inside the pandemonium at the Washington Hilton ‘Friendly Federal Assassin’: Alleged shooter’s manifesto says he was targeting Trump officials And just a note, after recording this episode, Cole Tomas Allen, was charged - on Tuesday, Australian time - with an attempted assassination of Donald Trump. According to a note Allan reportedly sent family members minutes before the attack, he believed that it was his duty to target Trump administration officials. Jeanine Pirro, the top federal prosecutor in Washington, has said…
People in this episode
Guest: Bruce Wolpe
Topics covered
- Trump
- Washington shooting
- political violence
- media response
- assassination attempt
Keywords
- Trump
- shooting
- Washington
- Bruce Wolpe
- assassination
- political violence
- media
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: United States Studies Centre, Washington Hilton, Australian, Jeanine Pirro
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