CNN anchor Jake Tapper delivered a monologue accusing the Trump administration of comparing political criticism and satire to calls for violence in the aftermath of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting. Tapper also recounted a confrontation with Kari Lake, claiming she approached the CNN table after the shooting to blame journalists, insulted one of his colleagues, and then followed him outside while accusing him and CNN of responsibility. “This crusade against Kimmel was predictable because the Trump administration’s attempt to use Saturday’s shooting as justification to stop all critical coverage, whether journalistic or comedic, of Donald Trump, that started even before the ballroom emptied,” Tapper said.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN: Let us discuss now two important aspects of what has happened in the United States since the horrific attempted assassination on President Trump and members of the Trump administration. Let me be clear at the very outset that the violence is horrific and should be condemned by everyone. I’ll get into the responsibility that we all have to help bring down the temperature in a second, but first let me touch on the news today and what was perhaps inevitable that the Trump administration would try to use Saturday’s horrific act of violence to try to clamp down on criticism and free speech. Today, the president and the first lady, Melania Trump, citing a joke that comedian Jimmy Kimmel made last Thursday on his show, tried to connect that joke with the assassination attempt. Now, there is zero evidence, zero evidence that the would-be alleged assassin heard the joke. In fact, authorities say the suspect left California for Washington, D.C. by train on Tuesday. So his trip to D.C. started long before Jimmy Kimmel told this joke on Thursday night, airing this pretend correspondence dinner skit. JIMMY KIMMEL: And, of course, our first lady, Melania, is here. Look at Melania. So beautiful. Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow. TAPPER: Today, the first lady tweeted, quote, Kimmel’s monologue about my family is in comedy. His words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America. It is time for ABC to take a stand. How many times will ABC’s leadership enable Kimmel’s atrocious behavior at the expense of our community? Unquote. This in response to a joke she did not like. This afternoon, President Trump followed with a Truth Social post that said, quote, this is something far beyond the pale. Jimmy Kimmel should be immediately fired by Disney and ABC. Unquote. There was more. But let us just take this moment and say, is it fair to judge Jimmy Kimmel’s joke in light of what happened at the dinner two nights later? White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Saturday, shortly before the shooting, that President Trump’s speech would be funny and there would be, quote, shots fired, unquote, which, of course, when not taken literally, refers to humorous insults. Does anyone out there think that Karoline Leavitt had any idea what would happen? I don’t. Does anyone out there think that Jimmy Kimmel had any idea what happened? What would happen? I don’t. Now, do I think both, in retrospect, would choose their words differently, in retrospect, given what happened on Saturday night? Of course. But this crusade against Kimmel was predictable because the Trump administration’s attempt to use Saturday’s shooting as justification to stop all critical coverage, whether journalistic or comedic, of Donald Trump, that started even before the ballroom emptied, because Kari Lake, the election denier who’s currently in charge of Voice of America, she approached a CNN table after the shooting and blamed journalists for the attempted attack and personally insulted one of our correspondents as a, quote, midget. She then went outside and trailed me for about a block. I was trying to ignore her. She was saying that I was responsible for what happened, CNN’s responsible for what happened. And that unhinged rant by someone who, frankly, obviously needs help is now being matched with social media posts and more from the White House trying to use this horrific tragedy to demonize any criticism as calls for violence. And the president has been making literal calls for violence since 2015. I’m not even going to go into them. You’re familiar with them, but literal calls for violence. Now, a reminder that the president’s tone immediately after the attack on Saturday was praised by Democrats and Republicans, and it was far more conciliatory. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I ask that all Americans recommit with their hearts in resolving our difference peacefully. We have to we have to resolve our differences. TAPPER: That sentiment clearly did not last long. And let us turn now to this deranged, alleged would-be assassin, whose writings clearly seem to be from someone on the left. And there is a problem with violence on the left in the United States. And there is a problem with violence on the right in the United States. And to debate which one is worse is honestly to avoid the problem. It’s all awful. It all needs to stop. Now, there was a time when people who tried to justify violence against anyone were considered fringe lunatics. Today, a lot of them are called influencers. Social media companies have figured out how to commodify the hate that they push. It’s pushed by these twisted algorithms, too. And politicians and pundits are increasingly lending their credibility to these influencers. And those politicians and pundits are playing a role in this, too. It is a big problem of calls for violence and dehumanization, and it’s getting worse. But it is not a problem to be wielded like a cudgel to try to stop journalism or jokes. Journalism and jokes are not calls for violence. Calls for violence are calls for violence. And far too many Americans in positions of power and influence are too blase and too glib about those who make them.

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