California Democrats Silent After Third Assassination Attempt on President Trump

For the third time in two years, President Donald Trump survived an apparent assassination attempt, this time at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner on Saturday night. A California man identified as Cole Tomas Allen was charged after allegedly attempting to breach a security checkpoint armed with a handgun, shotgun, and knives. Secret Service agents quickly neutralized the threat, protecting Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and other senior officials.

While law enforcement acted swiftly, several California Democrats have remained conspicuously silent in the aftermath.

U.S. Rep. Adam Gray (CA-13), Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains (Assembly District 35), and Randy Villegas — all candidates in California’s 22nd Congressional District race — have so far refused to condemn the assassination attempt. 

Their silence comes just days after prominent Democrats, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, used inflammatory rhetoric calling for “maximum warfare” against Trump and his agenda.

California Globe has previously reported on the trio’s pattern of heated and divisive statements:

• Adam Gray (U.S. Rep. CA-13, seeking re-election) was caught on camera physically confronting a constituent who asked tough questions about Democrats’ redistricting efforts.  
• Randy Villegas (candidate for CA-22) has repeatedly accused Republicans of trying to “steal elections” and has headlined events with far-left groups branding conservatives as “fascists” while urging supporters to “battle fascism.” Villegas has received endorsements from La Raza Indivisible, which praised him as a leader “in the battle against fascism,” as well as the California Working Families Party and the national Working Families Party (WFP) — organizations with deep socialist ties. Bernie Sanders has described the WFP as “the closest thing there is to a political party that believes in my vision of democratic socialism.”  
• Jasmeet Bains (Assembly District 35, candidate for CA-22) has accused Israel of committing “genocide” in Gaza and labeled Republicans as “racist.”

“Adam Gray, Jasmeet Bains, Randy Villegas and Democrats were quick to put a target on President Trump with dangerous and violent rhetoric, but now that their words have consequences, they are SILENT,” said RNC spokesman Nick Poche. “All Democrats must condemn political violence and immediately fund the Department of Homeland Security and Secret Service.”

The latest assassination attempt occurs amid a prolonged funding standoff for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the Secret Service. Democrats and Republicans continue to trade blame for a partial shutdown of DHS operations now stretching beyond two months, raising concerns that critical protective resources have been strained during a period of heightened risk.

This attempt follows two prior incidents: the July 2024 shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, and the September 2024 attempt in West Palm Beach, Florida — a troubling pattern of political violence directed at the president amid escalating and inflammatory rhetoric.

California Globe reached out to the offices of Gray, Bains, and Villegas for comment but have not received a response.