White House Spokesperson: No One Has Faced More Bullets in Recent Years Than Trump

(Patria) - White House Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt held an emergency press conference yesterday regarding Saturday's attack on President Donald Trump, cutting short her maternity leave.

Leavitt directly blamed Trump's political opponents and the media for the attack, accusing them of inciting violence, and called on Congress to urgently approve funding for the Department of Homeland Security.

She began the conference by reflecting on Saturday's events.

- Saturday was supposed to be a joyous evening where we, the media, celebrate freedom of speech and the First Amendment.

Instead, the evening was ruined by a deranged individual, hostile to Trump, who traveled across the country to assassinate the President and as many administration officials as possible - said Leavitt.

She emphasized that she considered it her duty to address the public.

- I felt it was right to be here today, to answer your questions and inform the American people how the administration is responding to another assassination attempt on President Trump - Leavitt stated.

She immediately directed blame at the current president's opponents. She asserted that "no one has faced more bullets and violence in recent years than President Trump."

- That political violence stems from the systemic demonization of him and his supporters by commentators, elected members of the Democratic Party, and even some in the media.

That hateful, violent rhetoric, directed at President Trump day after day for 11 years, has contributed to the legitimization of this violence and has brought us to this dark moment - Leavitt said.

She specifically called out those who "constantly and falsely label and slander the President as a fascist, as a threat to democracy, and compare him to Hitler to score political points."

She cited Senator Adam Schiff, who said Trump uses a "dictator's playbook," and Senator Ed Markey, who called him a dictator, as examples.

Leavitt used the attack to call on Congress to restore funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), whose operations have been partially suspended since mid-February due to political deadlock.

- Saturday night served as another reminder of how important it is to fund the Department of Homeland Security.

It is shameful that the U.S. Congress has kept this crucial agency unfunded for 73 days, the longest shutdown of a federal agency in U.S. history - Leavitt stated.

She added that the Secret Service, which operates within DHS, is "directly affected by this reckless political game and brinkmanship."

Funding was halted because Democrats refused to support the agency's budget without new restrictions on immigration operations.

Negotiations failed, after which the Senate passed a bill to fund the entire DHS, excluding the agencies responsible for deportations.

However, House Republicans refuse to accept such a bill until funding is secured for those agencies as well - Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Leavitt did, however, acknowledge that the White House does not consider the security response to have been flawless.

- I don't think it's good to just sit back and claim everything is always perfect. That's why the White House will continue to work with the Department of Homeland Security and the Secret Service to find ways to improve and strengthen security - she said.

She also stated that the President was pleased with the response and grateful to all those who protected him.

In the context of security, she also mentioned the controversial project to build a new ballroom at the White House.

- That's why the White House ballroom project is not just a fun project for President Trump, as you might read in the media, but it is crucial for our national security - Leavitt asserted.

This argument was immediately picked up by right-wing commentators after the attack, and Republican Senators Lindsey Graham, Katie Britt, and Eric Schmitt announced they would introduce a bill to fund the ballroom.

Democrats, who have opposed the project before, have not publicly changed their stance for now.