Stephen A. Smith was among those taking cover at the Washington Hilton on Saturday night as an assassination attempt was thwarted by the United States Secret Service at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner (WHCD).
The long-time ESPN host with a growing interest in politics said the incident ‘scared the living hell out of everybody’ because they ‘thought for a few seconds that the room had been penetrated.’
‘So all of us had to get down,’ Smith said on his YouTube show. ‘We ducked under tables, ducked under chairs and all of that other stuff.’
Fortunately for those inside the Hilton banquet hall, 31-year-old would-be assassin Cole Tomas Allen was arrested outside the screening area, according to authorities.
Allen allegedly had a 12-gauge shotgun and a semi-automatic pistol, as well as multiple knives, as he tried to access the ballroom with President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and multiple other top-level administration officials. One officer was shot in their bullet-resistant vest, but is now doing fine, according to Trump.
Smith’s terror over the assassination attempt quickly turned to anger at the political rhetoric in American politics, which Trump has blamed squarely on Democrats: ‘I do think that the hate speech of the Democrats… is very dangerous. I think it’s dangerous for the country.’
Stephen A. Smith attends the White House Correspondents’ Dinner at Washington Hilton
US Secret Service agents surround President Donald Trump after a shooting incident outside the ballroom during the White House Correspondents Dinner, Saturday
Although Smith condemned violent rhetoric, he stopped short of pinning the problem exclusively on the political left.
‘I’m sick and tired of us giving lip service to the narrative of dialing down the rhetoric,’ Smith said, as quoted by Outkick.com. ‘Enough of that. Stop talking about it and do it. Let’s debate policy as opposed to engaging in name-calling and speaking about people in incendiary and derogatory fashion.’
As for the belief that Trump somehow orchestrated this failed assassination attempt as a way to push through his planned ballroom atop the ruins of the demolished White House East Wing, Smith isn’t buying it.
But that’s not to say he disagrees with Trump’s proposed ballroom. Despite public outcry over anonymous donations, as well as the GOP’s renewed push to use taxpayer funds for the $400 million project, Smith agreed with Trump that a White House ballroom is in the country’s best interest.
‘You’ve got a lot of conspiracy theorists out there claiming that this was all rigged,’ he said. ‘Me personally, people can have their opinions, their conjecture or whatever, but it would be irresponsible for me or any journalist to jump to that conclusion. We’re not gonna do that.
‘A dead clock is right twice a day,’ he continued, turning back to the proposed ballroom. ‘The president has a point.
‘Stuff like this should be on the grounds of the White House. It shouldn’t be at some damn hotel in DC that just anybody could get into. It just shouldn’t.’
The 48-year-old right-wing conservative spent much of the evening assigning blame for the shooting to hers and President Donald Trump’s perceived political enemies
Ben Stiller, seen here with wife Christine Taylor, is an outspoken New York Knicks fan
The community note on X also included mention of the Knicks’ victory over the Hawks
The conspiracy theories about the WHCD haven’t only come from Trump’s critics.
Republican congresswoman and South Carolina gubernatorial candidate Nancy Mace appeared to suggest that actor/director Ben Stiller was somehow in on the planned assassination.
The 48-year-old right-wing conservative spent much of the evening assigning blame for the incident to hers and Trump’s perceived political enemies.
So when Stiller, an outspoken supporter of the Democratic Party, wrote ‘Got it done’ on X around 8:53, Mace seemed to think he was referring to the WHCD shooting that took place less than an hour earlier.
‘Got what done?’ Mace asked.
But according to the hundreds of responses Mace’s post received, not to mention a community note on X, Stiller was rooting for his New York Knicks to beat the Atlanta Hawks in Game 4 of their first-round playoff series.
Mace’s post elicited a torrent of profane responses, many of which accused her of being ‘stupid’ or worse.
‘It’s basketball, you idiot,’ read one of the tamer reactions.
And Stiller’s own X posts suggest he was fixated on Saturday’s Game 4 in Atlanta.
‘MOMENTUM SHIFT,’ Stiller wrote in a follow-up post after the Knicks evened the series at 2-2 with a 114-98 win in Atlanta.
The Daily Mail did not get a response from Mace’s gubernatorial campaign about the post, which was one of dozens the congresswoman made between the WHCD and Sunday morning.
Meanwhile the Knicks will be back in New York to host the Hawks on Tuesday night in Game 5 of their first-round series.
‘LETS GOOO,’ Stiller wrote on X, presumably referring to the Knicks.
