Democratic former President Barack Obama appeared to be baffled about the motivation of the suspect in the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting, despite the rather persuasive evidence already available.

Cole Tomas Allen, a 31-year-old teacher from Torrance, California, was arrested after he allegedly opened fire at the dinner, prompting attendees to dive under their tables and the president to be evacuated from the area.

‘There is no ambiguity. … It’s wrong to downplay or obscure the obvious motive.’

Allen had allegedly released a manifesto and left a massive online footprint full of Democratic anti-Trump propaganda, and yet Obama said he had no clue what could have motivated the suspect to try and assassinate the president and members of his administration.

“Although we don’t yet have the details about the motives behind last night’s shooting at the White House Correspondents Dinner, it’s incumbent upon all us to reject the idea that violence has any place in our democracy,” Obama wrote in the statement on social media Sunday.

“It’s also a sobering reminder of the courage and sacrifice that U.S. Secret Service Agents show every day,” he added. “I’m grateful to them — and thankful that the agent who was shot is going to be okay.”

The former president was immediately assailed for the bizarre comment.

“This guy. We don’t have the motives? There’s a damn manifesto that details everything,” NewsNation reporter Katie Pavlich responded.

“Oh, come on. The shooter left a detailed manifesto in his hotel room and sent writings to family members shortly before the attack where explicitly identified himself as the ‘Friendly Federal Assassin’ and said was targeting Trump administration officials — prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest,” former DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said.

“There is no ambiguity. It was a politically motivated attack driven by anti-Trump and anti-Christian bile. It’s wrong to downplay or obscure the obvious motive,” she added.

RELATED: ‘Enough is enough’: Melania Trump demands ABC ‘take a stand’ against ‘coward’ Jimmy Kimmel

“You are so SICK!” responded the account for the Republican National Committee. “Law enforcement officers confirmed this radicalized Leftist was targeting President Trump and his administration last night. Why are you lying?”

Allen appeared in federal court for arraignment Monday on charges of attempted assassination of the president, interstate transportation of weapons, and discharge of a firearm during a violent crime. He is likely to face many other charges based on the information gathered from the investigation.

Allen’s next scheduled court date is May 11.

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In the aftermath of the third assassination attempt against President Donald Trump, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt took to the podium on Monday to call out specific Democrats for heightening tensions and calling for violence.

Just days after 31-year-old Cole Allen allegedly sprinted through a security checkpoint and opened fire in the lobby at the Washington Hilton, wounding a Secret Service agent, Leavitt is pointing the finger at Democrats who have inspired deranged leftists to take up arms.

‘These are Democrat-elected officials calling for war.’

“It’s not just the media. … The entire Democrat Party has made their pitch to voters across the country that Donald Trump poses an existential threat to democracy, that he is a fascist, and that they compare him to Hitler,” Leavitt said Monday.

“I mean, these are despicable statements that the American people have been consuming for years, and so many mentally perturbed individuals are led to believe these words are truth and then are inspired to act on it.”

RELATED: Stunning new details reveal the ‘depraved’ motivation of the suspected WHCD shooter

Truth Social/Anadolu/Getty Images

Leavitt said those incessantly likening Trump to dictators who deserve to be met with violence inspired the three assassination attempts and countless threats waged against the president and his allies.

“Rep. Hakeem Jeffries just this April, this month, said, ‘We are in an era of maximum warfare everywhere all the time,'” Leavitt said. “Governor Josh Shapiro said, ‘Heads need to roll’ within the administration. Senator Alex Padilla said people are ‘dying because of fear and terror’ caused by the Trump administration.”

Leavitt went on to list several more prominent Democrats like Sens. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), Adam Schiff (Calif.), and Ed Markey (Mass.), Gov. JB Pritzker (Ill.), Rep. Ayanna Presley (Mass.), and Rep. LaMonica McIver (N.J.), who have made similar appeals likening Trump to a fascist, dictator, or authoritarian and calling for ambiguous escalations.

“These are Democrat-elected officials calling for war against the president of the United States and his supporters,” Leavitt said.

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​Adam schiff, Alex padilla, Assassination attempts, Ayanna pressley, Cole allen, Cole allen manifesto, Democrat party, Donald trump, Ed markey, Elizabeth warren, Hakeem jeffries, Jb pritzker, Josh shapiro, Karoline leavitt, Lamonica mciver, Left wing violence, Secret service, Trump assassination attempt, White house, White house correspondents dinner, Politics 

A depraved radical opened fire at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner on Saturday night with the apparent aim of assassinating President Donald Trump and administration officials.

Following this latest attempt on his life, Trump implored all Americans to “recommit with their hearts in resolving our difference peacefully.”

‘A lot of this does come from the White House.’

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt expounded on the need to drop the divisive rhetoric, telling reporters on Monday that “this political violence stems from a systemic demonization of [Trump] and his supporters by commentators — yes, by elected members of the Democrat Party and even some in the media. This hateful and constant and violent rhetoric directed at President Trump, day after day after day for 11 years, has helped to legitimize this violence and bring us to this dark moment.”

Like the hordes of anti-Trump leftists who sounded off online over the weekend, especially on the liberal X knockoff Bluesky, Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-Va.) made clear Monday on CNN that he would rather point fingers than build bridges.

Vindman impressed upon CNN talking head Sara Sidner the supposed need for social media censorship, which he euphemistically referred to as “better regulat[ion.]”

When Sidner asked the Democrat congressman whether toning down the rhetoric “is even possible with this political class, with the vitriol that comes out of the White House,” Vindman agreed that Trump is at least partially responsible for the divisive “political climate.”

“No,” responded Vindman, a native of the former Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic whose twin brother attacked Trump online after the previous attempt on the president’s life. “Absolutely not. And look, I think you’re right. A lot of this does come from the White House.”

RELATED: Suspected WHCD shooter and another would-be Trump assassin have a lot in common — and it’s not just Ukraine

U.S. President Trump via Truth Social/Anadolu/Getty Images

Vindman was hardly the only Democrat who apparently felt obliged to blame Trump for the violence directed his way.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) told CNN on Monday, “Remember that it’s been Donald Trump and the Republicans that have called for political violence.”

After blaming suspected shooter Cole Allen’s intended targets, Pritzker said that America needs to bring “peace to its politics.” This sentiment was, however, short-lived, as he proceeded to defend the suggestion in his state of the state speech last year that the Trump administration is reminiscent of the Nazi regime in Germany.

Unlike Pritzker and Vindman, Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman (D) told his Democrat peers to “drop the TDS and build the White House ballroom for events exactly like these.”

Fetterman further acknowledged that the hotel where the gunman attacked on Saturday “wasn’t build to accommodate an event with the line of succession for the U.S. government.”

Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Sunday, “What happened last night is exactly the reason that our great Military, Secret Service, Law Enforcement and, for different reasons, every President for the last 150 years, have been DEMANDING that a large, safe, and secure Ballroom be built ON THE GROUNDS OF THE WHITE HOUSE. This event would never have happened with the Militarily Top Secret Ballroom currently under construction at the White House. It cannot be built fast enough!”

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​Cole allen, Donald trump, Law enforcement, Political violence, President, Secret service, Tds, Vindman, White house ballroom, White house correspondents association, Sara sidner, Cnn, Pritzker, Leftism, Violence, Politics 

Today, Allie Beth Stuckey, BlazeTV host of “Relatable,” debated Jacob Hansen, a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints podcaster whose channel is dedicated to exploring various worldview apologetics and comparing them to the LDS perspective.

In this fascinating 90-minute conversation, Allie and Hansen dive into important topics that differentiate creedal Christianity from the LDS faith, including the founding of the LDS Church, the Trinity, salvation, and much more.

Allie and Hansen kicked off the debate by discussing the founding of the Mormon faith.

It began in 1830 in upstate New York when a young farm boy named Joseph Smith claimed that God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him and directed him through the angel Moroni to translate the book of Mormon from ancient golden tablets.

“They essentially told [Smith] that the original church of Jesus Christ was not in its fullness on the Earth,” Hansen summarizes.

“What was missing was the priesthood authority and keys that were given to Peter … to effectuate the ordinances of salvation as a means by which we make covenants with our Father in heaven, and so you don’t have the fullness of the church without the fullness of the priesthood that is necessary to govern that institution, and we believe that was what needed to be restored,” he elaborates.

Allie asks Hansen a tough follow-up question: Does the Mormon church consider her — a Baptist — an apostate who lacks the fullness of truth?

“We would believe that you are a full, sincere believer in Jesus Christ, and we believe that you can reach a potential of relationship with Jesus Christ through that sincere belief that you have,” Hansen answers.

But in LDS theology, the afterlife isn’t binary as it is in the creedal Christian perspective. Heaven and hell are on a spectrum.

“The way that our faith views things is that there are different levels of light that people are willing to accept, right?” Hansen explains. “And the fullness of the light is to come into a full covenant relationship with Jesus Christ through His church, through the ordinances that put you into a covenant relationship with Jesus Christ.”

In other words, someone like Allie, who has a deep and personal relationship with Christ but rejects the tenets of Mormonism that contradict creedal Christianity, can experience “great joy and happiness” in the afterlife but not to the same level as those in the LDS Church who have both a sincere faith in Jesus Christ and fully accept the Church’s restored priesthood authority.

But Allie sees a contradiction.

“At least semantically, you would say Jesus died for our sins and that his sacrifice on the cross paid for our sins so that we could be reconciled to God,” she says.

“But it sounds like you’re saying there’s something else too — that Christ’s sacrifice wasn’t quite enough, that you also need to enter into ordinances.”

Hansen addresses Allie’s point with the analogy of a group of teenagers who ignored their parents’ warnings and decided to drive their car around a cliff.

“The brakes all of a sudden go out, and our car is heading downhill towards the cliff. … There’s nothing we can do to save ourselves; we’re going to go off that cliff, and then Jesus shows up with a helicopter, and He reaches His hand out and He says, ‘Take my hand, and I’ll get you out of this mess,’ right?” says Hansen.

He explains that the teenagers in the car are not automatically rescued just because Jesus showed up. They have to “choose Jesus Christ” in order to be saved.

But choosing Christ isn’t just saying yes to being rescued, Hansen argues.

“Our view is that we have to do something to reach up to take His hand,” he says, pointing to how the crowd Peter was preaching to at Pentecost had to repent and be baptized before they received the gift of the Holy Spirit.

“So our view is that our repenting, being baptized, which is where we make this covenant with Christ, opens us up to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands by those who have authority,” he tells Allie.

To hear her response and watch the rest of the debate, check out the episode above.

Want more from Allie Beth Stuckey?

To enjoy more of Allie’s upbeat and in-depth coverage of culture, news, and theology from a Christian, conservative perspective, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

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Cole Tomas Allen, 31, has officially been charged by the Department of Justice for the shooting that took place during Saturday’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner, including for the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump.

The suspect was seen on security cameras rushing through a checkpoint in the lobby of the Washington Hilton hotel before opening fire and shooting a Secret Serviceman who was wearing a bulletproof vest. The gunman was immediately detained, and his alleged manifesto later revealed his plans to target Trump and members of Trump’s Cabinet.

As a result, Allen is facing three federal charges.

‘This count is punishable by up to life in prison.’

“I want to make this clear,” acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said. “This man was a floor above the ballroom, with hundreds of federal agents between him and the president of the United States. The Department of Justice approaches incidents like this with urgency and clarity of purpose.”

“Violence has no place in civic life. It cannot and will not be used to disrupt democratic institutions or intimidate those who serve them, and it certainly cannot continue to be used against the president of the United States.”

RELATED: Stunning new details reveal the ‘depraved’ motivation of the suspected WHCD shooter

ANNABELLE GORDON/AFP/Getty Images

Blanche vowed to continue investigating the incident as well as the left-wing organizations Allen was reportedly affiliated with, saying he will “ensure that accountability is swift and certain.”

“Today, the Department of Justice filed three federal charges in United States District Court against Cole Tomas Allen,” Blanche said. “The first count is attempted assassination of the president of the United States. This count is punishable by up to life in prison. The second count is interstate transportation of a firearm to commit a felony. This is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. And the third count is discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence, which is punishable by a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years, a maximum of life.”

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​Attempted assassination, Attorney general, Department of justice, President donald trump, Todd blanche, Kash patel, Trump assassination attempt, Secret service, White house correspondents dinner, Politics, Cole tomas allen 

President Donald Trump is trying to clear the field of several Indiana Republican state senators who previously opposed a congressional redistricting map by endorsing their challengers in the upcoming May 5 primary election.

In December, 21 Republican state senators joined their Democrat colleagues to block a redrawn congressional map that would have strengthened the GOP’s control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

‘Anybody that votes against Redistricting, and the SUCCESS of the Republican Party in D.C., will be, I am sure, met with a MAGA Primary in the Spring.’

The new map, which would have created two more Republican-leaning congressional districts, failed in the state Senate in a 31-19 vote.

Trump issued a warning to Republican state senators ahead of the vote, cautioning those who planned to block the map.

“Anybody that votes against Redistricting, and the SUCCESS of the Republican Party in D.C., will be, I am sure, met with a MAGA Primary in the Spring,” Trump wrote, adding that he would “do everything within my power to make sure that they will not hurt the Republican Party, and our Country, again.”

Trump declared that “every one” of the Republicans in the state Senate who voted against redistricting “should be ‘primaried,’ and I will be there to help!”

Republicans who voted against redistricting who are seeking re-election in May:

James Buck (District 21)Spencer Deery (District 23)Dan Dernulc (District 1)Greg Goode (District 38)Travis Holdman (District 19)Rick Niemeyer (District 6)Linda Rogers (District 11)Greg Walker (District 41)

Republican state Senators Eric Bassler (District 39) and Kyle Walker (District 31) also voted against the redistricting map. However, neither is seeking re-election.

RELATED: Indiana Republicans vote with Democrats to block redistricting — despite Trump’s threat to unseat them

Kaiti Sullivan/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Trump issued his first endorsements of Republican challengers in January, backing Paula Copenhaver against Deery and Brenda Wilson against Goode. He also endorsed Jeff Ellington to take over Bassler’s open seat.

Trump described Copenhaver, the Fountain County GOP Chair, as a “MAGA Warrior” and a “terrific Candidate.”

“Paula is running against an incompetent and ineffective RINO incumbent named Spencer Deery who, for whatever reason, betrayed his voters by voting against Redistricting in Indiana,” the president stated.

Trump called Vigo County Commissioner Wilson a “Proven America First Patriot” and “a Successful Family Farmer,” arguing that she would be “a strong and effective Voice for our amazing Farmers and Indiana Agriculture.” He criticized Goode as a “RINO” and nicknamed him “No Goode.”

The president declared that Ellington, an “American First Patriot,” would be “a fantastic replacement for RINO Eric Bassler.” He described Ellington as “a Successful Businessman, Retired Firefighter, Horse Farmer, Greene County GOP Chairman, and former State Representative, who has dedicated his life to serving his Community.”

Trump issued three additional endorsements in February, supporting Blake Fiechter against Holdman, Tracey Powell against Buck, and Michelle Davis against Walker.

Fiechter is “a very successful Real Estate Broker, Proud Husband, Loving Father to three girls, and a Highly Respected Councilman in the wonderful City of Bluffton,” Trump said.

The president described Powell as “a successful Businessman, Chiropractor, Farmer, and Highly Respected Tipton County Commissioner.”

Trump contended that Davis, a state representative, has a strong record that includes voting “WITH Republicans to pass Redistricting in the State House.”

RELATED: ‘Total RINO’: Trump vows to oust Indiana Republican leader over redistricting betrayal

Kaiti Sullivan/Bloomberg/Getty Images

On Apr. 7, Trump posted two additional endorsements in his effort to remove Indiana RINOs from their Senate seats. He announced his support for Dr. Brian Schmutzler against Rogers and Trevor De Vries against Dernulc.

“A Proven Leader, Brian serves his Community as a Highly Respected Anesthesiologist and Medical Director,” he wrote in a post on social media.

“A Successful Businessman, Trevor knows the America First Policies required to Grow our Economy, Create GREAT Jobs, Cut Taxes and Regulations, Promote MADE IN THE U.S.A., and Unleash American Energy DOMINANCE,” Trump said in a separate post.

Gov. Mike Braun (R), who supported the redistricting effort, also endorsed seven Trump-backed candidates: Copenhaver, Davis, De Vries, Fiechter, Powell, Wilson, and Schmutzler.

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​News, Donald trump, Trump, Indiana, Jim buck, James buck, Spencer deery, Dan dernulc, Greg goode, Travis holdman, Rick niemeyer, Linda rogers, Greg walker, Paula copenhaver, Brenda wilson, Jeff ellington, Blake fiechter, Tracey powell, Michelle davis, Brian schmutzler, Trever de vries, Rinos, Rino, Redistricting, Primary election, Politics 

The shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday night has renewed the fervor of another debate raging in the nation’s capital.

On Sunday morning, President Trump made a post on Truth Social renewing his call to complete the White House ballroom, a project that has been halted due to an ongoing lawsuit.

‘The White House ballroom is essential for the safety and security of the president, his family, his Cabinet, and his staff.’

Trump argued that the shooting over the weekend demonstrates why the president needs a secure venue to host large events.

“What happened last night is exactly the reason that our great Military, Secret Service, Law Enforcement and, for different reasons, every President for the last 150 years, have been DEMANDING that a large, safe, and secure Ballroom be built ON THE GROUNDS OF THE WHITE HOUSE,” Trump wrote. “This event would never have happened with the Militarily Top Secret Ballroom currently under construction at the White House. It cannot be built fast enough!”

RELATED: WHCD attendees caught snatching wine bottles off tables amid chaos in aftermath of shooting

Pete Marovich/Washington Post/Getty Images

He added that the ballroom is both beautiful and far more secure than the Hilton hotel in Washington.

Trump then pivoted to attack the ongoing lawsuit that has obstructed the construction of the ballroom despite his wishes.

“The ridiculous Ballroom lawsuit, brought by a woman walking her dog, who has absolutely No Standing to bring such a suit, must be dropped, immediately. Nothing should be allowed to interfere with with [sic] its construction, which is on budget and substantially ahead of schedule!!!” Trump concluded.

Trump echoed this message in a White House press briefing in the aftermath of the shooting, adding that modern times place higher demands on security than those of the past: “We need levels of security that probably nobody has ever seen before.”

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche signaled his agreement with Trump’s calls to continue the project, posting a copy of a letter regarding the lawsuit along with the caption, “It’s time to build the ballroom.”

The letter, signed by Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate, begins by stating that the shooting Saturday was not the first attempt on a president’s life at the Washington Hilton hotel, referring to an attempt on President Ronald Reagan’s life by John Hinckley Jr., at the beginning of his presidency.

Shumate continues: “Yesterday’s assassination attempt on President Trump proves, yet again, that the White House ballroom is essential for the safety and security of the president, his family, his Cabinet, and his staff. When the White House ballroom is complete, President Trump and his successors will no longer need to venture beyond the safety of the White House perimeter to attend large gatherings at the Washington Hilton ballroom.”

He says that the lawsuit therefore puts the president and those close to him at “grave risk,” adding that he hopes “yesterday’s narrow miss will help you finally realize the folly of a lawsuit that literally serves no purpose except to stop President Trump no matter the cost.”

Blanche added in a reply to the post that the lawsuit is “on behalf of a single person who walks in the vicinity of the White House once a month and expects to dislike the East Wing’s new design.”

However, the reality is a bit more complicated than the “passing aesthetic gripe of a single person,” as Blanche described.

The lawsuit was brought by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in the United States, a nonprofit organization chartered by Congress in 1949. The organization represents thousands of members across the country, according to the complaint.

Blanche appears to be describing one member of the organization who is explicitly mentioned in the lawsuit, though she is not the only member whose interests are represented.

That said, she is described as a “professor emerita at a university where she taught history and historic preservation” who “frequently visits the White House neighborhood in order to enjoy the historic buildings and the beauty of the city’s design, in which the White House prominently features.”

Many right-leaning X accounts posted messages following the shooting urging the completion of the White House ballroom.

“THIS IS WHY WE NEED TRUMP’S BALLROOM,” Libs of TikTok wrote.

“Now you know why the left is suing to block Trump’s privately-funded WH ballroom,” End Wokeness said.

“I don’t want to hear one more f**king criticism of Trump’s new ballroom at the White House,” Meghan McCain added.

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