White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday forcefully rejected a wave of conspiracy theories circulating on social media that suggested a shooting outside the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner was a staged event. Speaking to reporters, she labeled the claims “crazy nonsense” and stressed the administration’s commitment to releasing accurate information quickly.
“It’s very important to us that we get the truth and the facts about this case and any case out there as quickly as possible, to dispel some of that crazy nonsense that you see running rampant online,” Leavitt said.
The press secretary credited the Department of Justice and the FBI under President Trump for their handling of the incident. “Trump’s DOJ and FBI have done a good job of disseminating facts about this attempted assassin,” she added.
Leavitt emphasized the administration’s goal of providing maximum transparency. “As far as we’re concerned, we want to provide maximum transparency,” she said. “And hopefully people will believe the truth instead of the lies and the conspiracies that so often do go crazy on social media.”
Her comments came in response to a reporter’s question about a surge of posts on platforms like X in the hours after the shooting, many pushing unfounded claims that the attack was faked. Leavitt acknowledged she had no “tangible” details on how the administration is specifically combating the spread of misinformation online.
The suspect in Saturday’s attempted attack is scheduled to be arraigned in Washington, D.C., on Monday afternoon. Top Justice Department officials are expected to brief the media shortly after. Federal agents stopped the armed man as he sprinted through a magnetometer at the Washington Hilton, the venue that has hosted the WHCA dinner for years. Authorities say he was carrying a shotgun, a handgun, and several knives, and that President Trump was his target.
The incident has sparked broader concerns about political violence and security at high-profile events. Former President Barack Obama condemned the political violence, urging calm. Meanwhile, Senator Chuck Grassley has scheduled a Secret Service briefing to examine security lapses at the dinner.
Leavitt’s dismissal of the conspiracy theories underscores the administration’s effort to control the narrative around a potentially explosive event, as law enforcement continues to investigate the suspect’s motives and background.
