Another day, another violent assault on the symbols of our Republic. It almost feels daily.
Saturday evening, around 6 p.m., a gunman approached a Secret Service checkpoint at 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue — just steps from the White House perimeter. He pulled a weapon from his bag and opened fire on the officers standing guard. The Secret Service returned fire, the suspect is dead, and tragically, a bystander was wounded in the exchange.
President Trump was inside the White House at the time, working as our elected leader should be. Negotiations with Iran are actively ongoing.
Thankfully, no officers were injured, and the quick response of our protectors prevented what could have been far worse.
I know those checkpoints well. I walked them. I carried the nuclear football for the President of the United States. In my years of service, I’ve seen security protocols tighten dramatically, especially after 9/11. Barriers went up. Access became more restricted. What used to be a relatively straightforward perimeter evolved into a fortress because the threats kept evolving. But no amount of concrete, steel, or layered defenses can fully protect us when the real danger comes from within our own culture.
This wasn’t just another random act by a disturbed individual disconnected from society. No, these incidents are becoming patterns. They’re the rotten fruit of years of relentless demonization, dehumanization, and incitement against the presidency — particularly when that presidency belongs to Donald Trump.
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We’ve watched it play out: From “mostly peaceful protests” that burned cities to academic halls where radicalism festers, to a mainstream media and political class that treats political opponents as existential threats rather than fellow Americans.
As the author of “Dereliction of Duty,” I’ve spent years calling out failures in leadership across administrations. But what we’re seeing now goes deeper than policy disagreements. It’s a cultural rot that says elections don’t matter, that the peaceful transfer of power is optional, and that if you lose at the ballot box, any means — including violence — are justified to regain power.
The “enemy within” isn’t a slogan; it’s the cumulative effect of rhetoric that portrays America’s institutions and her leaders as illegitimate.
Think about the timeline. We’ve seen multiple attempts and incidents targeting this administration. Each one chips away at the sacred norms that have held this nation together. Higher fences and more officers are necessary, but they’re band-aids.
The real solution requires confronting the sources of the poison: the media echo chambers that amplify hatred for profit, the politicians who wink at violence while condemning it in public statements, and an education system that teaches generations to despise their own country.
President Trump was safe Saturday night, thank God. The Secret Service and law enforcement did their jobs heroically, as they always do. But we owe them more than gratitude — we owe them a culture that doesn’t force them to stand in the line of fire from fellow citizens radicalized by division and hate.
Pray for the wounded bystander and their family. Thank the men and women who protect our leaders every single day, often at great personal risk. And demand accountability from those who have spent years stoking the flames. The shots fired Saturday night weren’t just aimed at officers in uniform or a historic building. They were aimed at the very idea that We the People decide our fate through ballots, not bullets.
America deserves better. It’s time we insist on it.
