Donald Trump condemns 'dangerous Democrat hate speech' after third assassination attempt

And in an extended sit-down interview after Saturday night's chaos, Mr Trump was asked if there was something he could do to deal with political violence and its recent increase.

He told CBS News: "Well, you know, you go back 20 years, 40 years, 100 years, 200 years, 500 years, it's always been there.

"People are assassinated. People are injured. People are hurt. And I'm not sure that it's any more now than there was.

"I do think that the hate speech of the Democrats much more so is very dangerous. I really think it's very dangerous for the country.

Mrs Kirk was sitting next to Mr Trump after she previously withdrew from a Turning Point USA with Vice President JD Vance over security concerns.

Her late husband Charlie had warned just five months prior to his killing: "Assassination culture is spreading on the left. Forty-eight per cent of liberals say it would be at least somewhat justified to murder Elon Musk. Fifty-five per cent said the same about Donald Trump.

"The left is being whipped into a violent frenzy."

Just days after Mr Kirk's assassination, Lord Young, the director of the Free Speech Union, had warned of a rise in political violence in the United States.

He told GB News: "I don't think it's accurate to say this reflects the increasing polarisation of American politics since nearly all the violence has been meted out by one side against the other.

"It reflects the accelerating derangement of the woke left."

Last night, Mr Trump was confronted by alleged shooter Cole Tomas Allen's bizarre "manifesto" - though said it was "disgraceful" to have the shooter's words read out to him on-air.

"I am no longer willing to permit a paedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes," Mr Allen wrote - allegations which the President vehemently denied.

Earlier on Sunday, Trump told Fox News the "strongly anti-Christian" suspect "had a lot of hatred in his heart for a while", and said his family knew he had "difficulties".

Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche has said the alleged gunman's motive is still under investigation - but "preliminary" findings indicate he was targeting administration officials.

The FBI's criminal division and terrorism task-force are investigating the incident.

One Secret Service Agent was shot in the assassination attempt.

Mr Trump said the agent initially did not want to go to the hospital and was protected by his bulletproof vest.

"He didn't want to go to the hospital. He really didn't. They asked him to go, and he said he didn't want to go. He said: 'I don't need to go to the hospital.' But he went because they asked him to go," the President said.

Discussions are now underway for new security measures for the President, including wearing a bulletproof vest for future public appearances, according to Fox News.

Other major security improvements are said to be under discussion at the highest level.

The President, immediately after the shooting, said the events showed the need for his new East Wing ballroom, which will not be ready until 2028, although Mr Trump has said it is ahead of schedule.

Mr Trump said: "I didn't want to say this, but this is why we have to have all of the attributes of what we're planning at the White House. It's actually a larger room, and it's much more secure. It’s got - it’s drone-proof, it’s bulletproof glass."

The White House Correspondent's Association organise the annual dinner and the President has said he hopes to reschedule the event as soon as possible.

He said: "I don't want to have a crazy person - I think it's really bad for a crazy person to be able to cancel something like this."

The annual event is an opportunity for the sitting President to deliver a less formal speech to the media in DC.

This year's was the first to be attended by Mr Trump as President - though he infamously attended as a citizen in 2011.

Then-President Barack Obama and comedian Seth Meyers made jokes at his expense, leading to to speculation this was reason he decided to run for high office.

The President was expected to deliver a speech he described as the "most inappropriate speech ever made", after he sued numerous press outlets in his second term, including the BBC.

Mr Trump had a previous assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, and two months later survived another assassination attempt while golfing at his Mar-a-Lago course.

As a result, his pastor Mark Burns told GB News the President had become a more spiritual man after the first attempt on his life.

"He knows, without a shadow of doubt, that the hand of God was - is - upon his life," he said.