WASHINGTON—Steve Schmidt, a leading anti-Trump activist and co-founder of The Lincoln Project, blamed President Donald Trump for “poisoning the rhetoric in America” minutes after a gunman opened fire at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
The Daily Wire approached Schmidt at Substack’s New Media Party, an alternative to the Correspondents’ Dinner held around the corner from the White House. Moments before, Cole Thomas Allen, a 31-year-old engineer from California, opened fire at the Washington Hilton Hotel, where President Trump and senior government officials were gathered for the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
Immediately after a gunman opened fire at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Lincoln Project co-founder @SteveSchmidtSES blamed President Trump for “poisoning the rhetoric” in America:
“He is a vile and disgusting man.” pic.twitter.com/dUG2XrcCDl
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) April 26, 2026
Asked for his reaction to the shooting, Schmidt initially said “Pretty terrible. Don’t know a lot of details yet.” The Daily Wire then asked Schmidt if the protesters outside the dinner, and the prominent commentators urging attendees to somehow disrupt the event, bore any responsibility for inspiring the shooter.
“No,” Schmidt deadpanned.
The Daily Wire then reminded Schmidt about the two prior attempts on Trump’s life, including the 2024 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where a would-be assassin struck Trump and killed a bystander. Schmidt blamed the victim.
“There’s one person beyond and above all others who’s responsible for poisoning the rhetoric in America, and that guy’s name is Donald Trump,” Schmidt said.
WATCH: STEVE SCHMIDT CALLS TRUMP “VILE AND DISGUSTING” MOMENTS AFTER SHOOTING
Asked if he was blaming the president for the repeated attempts on his life, Schmidt said no — and then resumed criticizing the president.
“He’s a poisonous, venomous man,” Schmidt said. “He’s an insurrectionist, the foremost domestic enemy of the Constitution in American history. He is a vile and disgusting man, a convicted sex predator, and likely a pedophile. And tragically, he’s President of the United States, so we’ll have to endure through it.”
Schmidt, a former Republican political operative best known for his work on John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign, has a history of making controversial statements shortly after presidential assassination attempts. Just two days after the Butler shooting, Schmidt penned a column in which he compared the Republican National Convention to a Nazi rally in which he said that Trump, like his would-be assassin, was driven by “violence and a hatred for democracy.”
Schmidt founded The Lincoln Project with fellow anti-Trump Republican staffers Rick Wilson and John Weaver in 2019. Schmidt left the group in 2021 in the wake of revelations that Weaver had preyed on numerous young men, including one as young as 14. The Lincoln Project enjoyed a brief moment of celebrity among Trump critics, but was quickly marred by scandal.
Staffers left the group en masse following the reports on Weaver, and The Lincoln Project reportedly spent most of the money it raised on consultants. In 2022, Schmidt’s ex-wife petitioned a court to force him to pay her $100,000 she claimed she was owed.
Angela Schmidt also petitioned a court for a restraining order against the MS NOW contributor, who on Saturday evening was wearing a bright navy suit to a black tie event.
