Obama and Trump Urge Unity After White House Correspondents' Dinner Shooting

Former President Barack Obama and former President Donald Trump issued statements on Sunday urging unity after a shooting occurred at the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday night.

Obama took to social media to emphasize the importance of rejecting violence in democracy. "Although we don’t yet have the details about the motives behind last night’s shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, it’s incumbent upon all of us to reject the idea that violence has any place in our democracy," he wrote.

"It’s also a sobering reminder of the courage and sacrifice that U.S. Secret Service Agents show every day. I’m grateful to them—and thankful that the agent who was shot is going to be okay."

Obama’s statement echoed the sentiments expressed by Trump, who addressed reporters on Saturday night. "We have to resolve our differences," Trump said. "I will say, you had Republicans, Democrats, independents, conservatives, liberals, and progressives. Those words are interchangeable, perhaps, but maybe they’re not. But yet everybody in that room, big crowd, record-setting crowd, there was a record-setting group of people, and there was a tremendous amount of love and coming together. I watched, I watched, and I was very, very impressed by that."

In a preview clip shared by CBS from his upcoming interview with 60 Minutes, Trump recounted his actions immediately after hearing gunshots. "Well, what happened is, it was a little bit me, I wanted to see what was happening and I wasn’t making it that easy for him," he said. "I wanted to see what was going on."

The alleged shooter has been charged with two counts of using a firearm during a crime of violence and one count of assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon, according to U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro. His arraignment is scheduled for Monday, with additional charges expected to be filed.