‘I’ve studied assassinations’: After gunman storms event, Trump compares himself to Lincoln in defiant remarks

2 min readUpdated: Apr 26, 2026 11:15 PM US President Donald Trump on Saturday said that he viewed his repeated encounters with violence as an indicator of his “horic significance” and that he is confident that such dangers won’t affect him after a man armed with guns and knives stormed the White House correspondents dinner attended Trump.
Trump suggested that he views the shootings as a reflection of his impact. “When you’re impactful, they go after you. When you’re not impactful, they leave you alone,” the US president said, who was uninjured in the shooting incident. “They seem to think he was a lone wolf.”

.@POTUS: “I’ve studied assassinations, and I must tell you, the most impactful people… the people that do the most, the people that make the biggest impact, they’re the ones that they go after.” pic.twitter.com/orvqAXSXXF
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 26, 2026
Addressing a press briefing two hours after the shooting outside the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, Trump was asked a reporter why does it keep happening with him, he said “I’ve studied assassinations, and I must tell you, the most impactful people, the people that do the most, you take a look at Abraham Lincoln, I mean you go through the people that have gone through this…they’re the ones that they go after.”
On his repeated encounters with violence, Trump said, “I hate to say I’m honored that, but I’ve done a lot.” He called the profession as “dangerous” but added that it’s part of job. “It’s a dangerous profession, but I don’t view it that way. Look, I’m here to do a job. It’s part of the job…I love the country, and I’m very proud,” the US president added.
 
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