Democratic Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin was questioned [1] Sunday about political rhetoric following the shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, as he appeared on CNN just hours after the event in which a man attempted to breach security and fired multiple shots.
Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, had attended the Saturday night event at the Washington Hilton, where the disruption prompted security personnel to evacuate President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump, and members of the administration.
The situation unfolded as law enforcement responded to the suspect, later identified as Cole Allen, who allegedly entered the area armed and attempted to move toward the ballroom before being stopped.
During his appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union with Jake Tapper and Dana Bash,” Raskin was asked whether recent events had caused him to reconsider his own rhetoric or that of his party, particularly in light of what the host described as “heated” language directed at Trump.
“What rhetoric do you have in mind?” Raskin said when asked by Dana Bash whether he “thinks twice” about such statements.
Bash responded by referencing common Democratic criticisms of Trump’s leadership, stating, “Just talking about … the fact that he is terrible for this country, and so on and so forth. I understand that that’s your democratic right. But overall, do you have a responsibility?”
Raskin replied that his focus has been on policy issues rather than personal attacks.
“I have no personal problem with Donald Trump at all,” he said.
“I mean, I talk about the policies of this administration, the authoritarianism, like we saw on display in Minneapolis, where two of our citizens were gunned down in the streets simply for exercising their First Amendment rights: Renee Good, Alex Pretti, and others have died in custody.”
“I’m talking about policies. I don’t personalize it,” he added.
Raskin also referenced past comments by Trump regarding the media.
“And I certainly have never called the press the ‘enemy of the people,’” he said.
“I think the press are the people’s best friend, and that’s why it’s written right there into the First Amendment. We need the press to be a vigilant watchdog against every level of government: federal, state, local, all of it.”
The exchange followed Bash’s earlier remark connecting political rhetoric with recent incidents of violence.
“Then there’s the political rhetoric that we have seen just get— just become kind of off the rails, and how that has perhaps gone hand in hand with the political violence that we have seen spike,” Bash said.
Raskin responded by discussing broader concerns about press freedom.
“Well, that’s why I was so happy that President Trump went to that [the dinner] because he had called the press the enemy of the people. There have been so many attacks on reporters,” he said.
“You know, there have been lawsuits brought against media entities. And so there’s been this terrible assault on the First Amendment and freedom of press and speech. So I thought last night would be a wonderful opportunity to try to reclaim the basic values of the country.”
Raskin has been a prominent critic of Trump throughout his time in Congress.
As the lead Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee and previously the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, he has played a central role in investigations involving the president.
He served as the lead House impeachment manager during Trump’s second impeachment trial in 2021 and later joined the January 6 Committee.
In past remarks, Raskin has described Trump as a threat to the constitutional system.
In February 2021, he said that as long as Trump is “out there attempting to wage war on American constitutional democracy, he’s a problem for all of us.”
More recently, in October 2025, Raskin commented on the “No Kings” protests during an MSNBC appearance, describing them as “totally positive, totally patriotic” and a “‘Love America’ movement.”
He did not address reports that some participants in those demonstrations had made threats against Trump or members of his administration.
The CNN interview took place as investigators continue to examine the motive behind the shooting at the Washington Hilton.