Anchor Amna Nawaz’s introduction to Monday evening’s regular PBS News Hour political discussion confirmed conservative beliefs that the elitist mainstream press is unbendingly hostile to Donald Trump, even after the third attempt on the president’s life in less than two years.
Amna Nawaz: We covered at the top of the show Saturday night's events. And I know, Tam, you were there as well. We saw President Trump in that press conference after the attack call for unity. The press secretary today started to talk about a call for unity, toning down the rhetoric, and then blamed a number of Democrats for their rhetoric and leading to the violence.
I want to point out too the president had joked his speech that he was going to deliver at the dinner was going to go after the press very hard! I just want to get your reaction to all of this, especially someone who, as the former president of the White House Correspondents' Association, had to arrange this dinner.
PBS News Hour anchor Amna Nawaz responding to the attempt on President Trump's life at the WHCD: "The press secretary today started to talk about a call for unity, toning down the rhetoric, and then blamed a number of Democrats for their rhetoric and leading to the violence." pic.twitter.com/7vV233qW4O
— Clay Waters (@claywaters44) April 29, 2026
As usual, the elitist media considers it incredibly rude to "go after the press," while they refuse to consider the notion they they "go very hard" after the president. Nawaz herself opened the first night of the Republican convention in 2024 with "We have seen though, we should note, Republican rhetoric veer into outright racism, echoing some white supremacist notions as well. Do you think that will be avoided here tonight?"
Regular Monday night panelist Tamara Keith of National Public Radio was compelled to get her own cracks in on the president 48 hours after he was targeted by a left-wing would-be assassin.
Tamara Keith, NPR: I'm very grateful that this was not my year, because this has been so challenging. I went into the dinner Saturday night with a feeling of dread, but it was about -- it was a fear of what the president might say about the press, about the potential reputational damage for an organization that stands up for the First Amendment and a free press and a free and independent press to then have the president just tear into us, as he has done repeatedly through his presidency, punishing reporters for asking questions he doesn't like, news organizations for publishing stories he doesn't like, the lawsuits, all of this.
So that was what I was afraid of. And we didn't ever get to that point because of this attempted act of political violence. And it was just a real-time reminder that this is a very real and present problem in the country right now.
As if the White House Correspondent’s Dinner has never torn into Trump and members of his administration (see: Michelle Wolf). Keith does not have a record of "independent" reporting when it comes to Democrats, slobbering over Hillary Clinton and acting like a press secretary for Joe Biden.
At least Keith brought up a previous instance of political violence targeting Republicans, albeit while leaving off the important partisan affiliations (Rep. Steve Scalise is a Republican who was shot by a Bernie Sanders’ supporter in 2017):
Tamara Keith: What Amy's saying makes me think about one of the things that just isn't on my mind permanently, which is, as I was underneath the tables, as we all were, waiting to see if it was safe, and I looked up and I saw Majority Whip Steve Scalise being escorted out the center aisle of the room. And he walks with a little bit of a limp because he survived a politically motivated shooting in 2017 at the Congressional Baseball Game. And so that's just seared into my mind seeing him going through another scare.
A transcript is available, click “Expand.”
PBS News Hour
4/27/26
7:38:02 p.m.
AMNA NAWAZ: To discuss the fallout from the White House Correspondents` Dinner shooting and another state`s push for mid-decade redistricting, we turn now to our Politics Monday duo. That is Amy Walter of The Cook Political Report With Amy Walter and Tamara Keith of NPR.
It`s great to see you both.
AMY WALTER, The Cook Political Report: Hello.
TAMARA KEITH, National Public Radio: Good to be here.
AMNA NAWAZ: We covered at the top of the show Saturday night`s events.
And I know, Tam, you were there as well. We saw President Trump in that press conference after the attack call for unity. The press secretary today started to talk about a call for unity, toning down the rhetoric, and then blamed a number of Democrats for their rhetoric and leading to the violence.
I want to point out too the president had joked his speech that he was going to deliver at the dinner was going to go after the press very hard. I just want to get your reaction to all of this, especially someone who, as the former president of the White House Correspondents` Association, had to arrange this dinner.
TAMARA KEITH: Yes, not this one.
AMNA NAWAZ: Yes.
TAMARA KEITH: …. I went into the dinner Saturday night with a feeling of dread, but it was about -- it was a fear of what the president might say about the press, about the potential reputational damage for an organization that stands up for the First Amendment and a free press and a free and independent press to then have the president just tear into us, as he has done repeatedly through his presidency, punishing reporters for asking questions he doesn`t like, news organizations for publishing stories he doesn`t like, the lawsuits, all of this.
So that was what I was afraid of. And we didn`t ever get to that point because of this attempted act of political violence. And it was just a real-time reminder that this is a very real and present problem in the country right now.
AMNA NAWAZ: Amy, what do you make this?
AMY WALTER: Yes, it is -- to me, the most surprising thing was learning about this -- I was at a different event -- and not being surprised, right, that we now have become almost numb to the fact that it`s not simply that it`s political violence, as Tam points out.
But you can`t go a day in this country without getting some sort of alert that there has been a mass shooting or an attempt at a shooting in a public place, at a school.
The other thing I will note, that this isn`t just something that is happening to the president. Obviously, he was a target of this attempt, but we have seen in the last year Capitol Hill police saying more than 15,000 credible reports of violence against members of Congress or their staff.
The DHS, Homeland Security, recently put a briefing out saying that the harassment of federal judges has been surging. So this is something that, if you are engaged in politics at all -- now, it`s always been a business where there was a risk to you in deciding to be a public figure in politics.
Today -- and I have talked to people who have said, I would like to run, but I will not do that to my family and put myself at that risk.
(CROSSTALK)
TAMARA KEITH: I would just...
AMNA NAWAZ: Go ahead, Tam.
TAMARA KEITH: What Amy`s saying makes me think about one of the things that just isn`t on my mind permanently, which is, as I was underneath the tables, as we all were, waiting to see if it was safe, and I looked up and I saw Majority Whip Steve Scalise being escorted out the center aisle of the room.
And he walks with a little bit of a limp because he survived a politically motivated shooting in 2017 at the Congressional Baseball Game. And so that`s just seared into my mind seeing him going through another scare.
