Culture of hate? Trump's America and the White House press gala shooting

Culture of hate? Trump's America and the White House press gala shooting Americas

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44:47

Issued on: 27/04/2026 - 21:18

44:47 min Share From the show Reading time 1 min

Even if it's a ‘lone wolf’ as first suggested by President Trump, Saturday night’s White House Correspondents Dinner drama certainly did not happen in a vacuum. And just as mass shootings have become commonplace in a United States overrun by firearms so have attempts on the lives of political figures. We’ll ask about the latest targeting of the US president and the echo chambers that amplify vilification and hate, that turn adversaries into enemies, a social media landscape where conspiracy theories can make a better fit than facts both as ideology and a business model.

In the buildup to said White House Correspondents Dinner, all the talk was of how traditional media - already on the backfoot - would respond to all the bashing, particularly in the week that saw a mega merger that could change the course of globally-renowned news outlet CNN. We’ll never know. The speech never happened. Partisanship has always existed. But as the United States gets set to mark its 250th anniversary, is this time different? Is the level of verbal violence specific to a nation where gerrymandered constituencies encourage radical rhetoric? Or do more and more globally think they're above the law?

 

Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Charles Wente.

By: François PICARD Rebecca GNIGNATI Juliette Laffont Ilayda HABIP Charles WENTE Advertising Related keywords

• Donald Trump
• Freedom of the press
• attack
• USA
• 'fake news'
• conspiracy theory