Karoline Leavitt's unfortunate prophecy

Might Karoline Leavitt, President Trump’s Comical Ali, be regretting her choice of words after a gunman tried to rush security guards at the White House correspondents’ dinner at the weekend?

The president’s propagandist boasted to Fox News on the red carpet before the event that there would be “some shots fired tonight in the room”.

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Rats in a Sack

“He is ready to rumble,” said Leavitt. “I will tell you, this speech tonight will be classic Donald J. Trump. It’ll be funny, it’ll be entertaining, there will be some shots fired tonight in the room,” she added to the loud laughter of her gurning interviewer.

“So everyone should tune in, it’s gonna be really great. I’m looking forward to hearing it. I can’t take credit – in true Donald Trump fashion, the man puts his pen to the paper himself, so it’s a lot of his own work.”

Alas for Leavitt, for once her words were actually true, and Cole Tomas Allen, a 31-year-old teacher from California, was arrested after an exchange of gunfire with Secret Service agents, and the gathered hacks were spared Trump’s no doubt rambling roast.

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Meanwhile, Debra Lea, a right wing social media influencer who has wangled her way into the Trump orbit, has faced criticism for claiming the dinner had no meaningful security despite the airport-like scanners in place. Lea said on a social media video that “honestly, there was no security, you just showed your ticket and you were completely able to get in. There was just no pat-downs, no metal detectors, nothing going on, so [it was a] really horrible set-up and I just don’t understand how that was a thing when the United States president was going to speak, he has already had an assassination attempt on his life, so, really crazy”.

Other attendees, however, have described multiple ticket checks and metal detectors at the venue, while the Wall Street Journal, whose correspondents were in attendance, reported that attendees entering the main ballroom had to pass through metal detectors and have the contents of their bags inspected.

Still, Lea had her priorities right – in the immediate aftermath of the shots being exchanged and Trump and his team being hurried from the room, the influencer took a selfie, pouting at the camera in her ballgown and posting it on Instagram, only to take it down when it met the inevitable backlash.