California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday sharply criticized President Donald Trump, arguing the commander in chief should be “condemned” for his response to the assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner last month.
In an interview with progressive commentator Brian Tyler Cohen, Newsom accused the president of using the aftermath of the April 25 shooting to target political enemies and chill free speech rather than attempting to unify the country.
“Well, hell of a way to bring the country together as his press secretary was condemning Democrats for their rhetoric,” Newsom said.
DEM AND GOP LAWMAKERS TRADE BLAME OVER RHETORIC AFTER WHCD SHOOTING: ‘IT IS DISGUSTING’
The governor argued that while political violence must be rejected across the board, the president carries a “unique duty” to lower the national temperature — a duty Newsom claimed Trump has abandoned in favor of political gain.
“Violence and rhetoric should be condemned on all sides,” Newsom said. “I’m not going to ‘both sides’ it, but you know what? It goes in both directions. He’s the President of the United States and used it to not only exploit the ballroom but to direct [FCC Chairman] Brendan Carr to continue to suppress free speech.”
Newsom’s comments come as the White House and first lady Melania Trump lead a public campaign for the firing of ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel. Days before the shooting, Kimmel aired a skit featuring a joke that the first lady had a “glow like an expectant widow.” Following the assassination attempt, the Trump administration labeled the joke “corrosive” and a “call to violence.”
EX-OBAMA AIDE CALLS ON KIMMEL TO APOLOGIZE FOR ‘TASTELESS’ TRUMP JOKE AHEAD OF ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT
“They’re going after comedians because comedians are trusted,” Newsom told Cohen. “They’re attacking free speech.”
Newsom also took aim at FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, accusing the agency of “total corruption” and “weaponization” after it recently moved to fast-track license reviews for ABC-owned stations. While Carr has maintained the move is related to a long-standing DEI investigation into Disney, Newsom framed it as a direct retaliation for Kimmel’s monologue.
“This is about structurally and institutionally reducing the fabric of truth, trust, and transparency in the United States,” Newsom said.
The Department of Justice has charged Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, Calif., with the attempted assassination of the president. According to federal investigators, Allen traveled by train to Washington, D.C., and rushed a security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton with a 12-gauge shotgun. A Secret Service officer was struck in the chest during the encounter but was protected by a ballistic vest.
HOW TRUMP SURVIVES: BATTLING THE MEDIA, FORMER ALLIES AND ASSASSINATION ATTEMPTS
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt characterized the incident as the third major assassination attempt against Trump, calling for an end to what she described as “hateful and violent rhetoric” from the left.
Federal authorities say Allen remains in custody as they continue to investigate his background and motives.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, White House spokesperson Davis Ingle criticized California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s remarks.
“Gavin Newscum is the worst governor in America, and he also may be the dumbest,” Ingle said. “Anyone who thinks President Trump staged his own assassination attempt is a complete moron.”
