Gavin Newsom and Katie Miller exchange jibes over the recent WHCA dinner shooting incident.
'Absurd Statement': Gavin Newsom Slams Katie Miller Over 'Offensive' WHCA Dinner Shooting Claims
California Governor Gavin Newsom lashed out at former Trump administration political advisor Katie Miller after the latter suggested that his political rhetoric incited an alleged assassination attempt against President Donald Trump during the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) dinner on April 25.
Further, Newsom also criticized Trump's use of social media and past statements regarding the president's political rivals.
Gavin Newsom Responds to Katie Miller's Remarks
The much-talked about WHCA dinner took place at the Washington Hilton hotel on April 25.
Attendees included Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
During the event, 31-year-old California resident Cole Tomas Allen allegedly attempted to assassinate the president.
United States Secret Service agents stopped Allen before anyone was harmed.
Katie Miller slams Gavin Newsom in a post on X.
During an interview with Fox News, Katie said that her husband, White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller, protected her during the shooting incident.
Katie, who is now a podcast host, then talked about political violence and the current political rhetoric in the United States.
Highlighting that the shooter was from the state of California, Katie called Newsom “one of the worst offenders of this violent political rhetoric.”
She claimed that the California governor’s views about conservatives influenced the shooter.
Following this, Newsom responded to Katie's remarks on social media.
“What an absurd statement,” Newsom wrote, adding, “Political violence is NEVER acceptable. PERIOD.”
Newsom condemned the shooter's actions and expressed relief that Trump was safe.
The California governor then criticized Katie for holding him responsible for the shooting incident.
"This finger pointing from people like Katie who haven’t just tolerated, but amplified, Trump’s dangerous rhetoric is offensive,” Newsom remarked.
Gavin Newsom criticizes Katie Miller's comments in a post on X.
Newsom went on, “The President has openly celebrated the deaths of his political opponents, called Democrats and immigrants ‘vermin,’ ‘demonic’ and ‘evil’ ‘animals’ who are ‘poisoning the blood of our country.’”
Newsom accused Trump of regularly using violent language on social media and threatening to arrest and sue his critics.
He remarked that the president's actions are an “attempt to overthrow our democracy.”
“The same folks cheering Trump’s threats don’t get to rewrite the narrative now,” Newsom added.
Katie Miller and Gavin Newsom Have Traded Jibes in the Past
Notably, Katie and Newsom also previously exchanged jibes online.
On January 6, Katie reshared a post made by Newsom on X, writing, “Tomorrow is one year since the Palisades fire. Not a single home has been rebuilt,” referring to the 2025 Los Angeles wildfire.
Following this, Newsom’s team responded, “The anniversary is Wednesday — not tomorrow — Katie. Oof.”
According to the Boston University (BU) School of Public Health, the Los Angeles wildfires caused over 400 deaths and are considered one of the region's worst natural disasters.
Newsom's team further claimed that $22.4 billion in insurance was paid, local residents approved 2,617 permits and numerous homes were rebuilt.
“LA’s recovery is one of the fastest in modern history — and there is MUCH more we need to do!” the team said.