A political firestorm has ignited in Southwest Florida after a local Democrat Party organization posted “that sucks” after the failed assassination attempt on President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
The controversy began Saturday night shortly after a shooting unfolded at the Washington Hilton during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. In the immediate aftermath of the security breach, the Sarasota County Democratic Party appears to have posted posted a message to Facebook, stating, “Well, that sucks,” accompanied by a laughing face emoji and a status update noting the group was “feeling disappointed.”
While thousands of guests, including senior government officials, were gathered to honor the First Amendment, an armed suspect—later identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of California—attempted to rush the ballroom. Allen was apprehended and faces multiple charges, including assaulting an officer with a deadly weapon.
The official Sarasota County Democratic Party posted this after the Trump ass*ssination attempt
This is not fringe. This is the mainstream Democrat Party view
Absolutely abhorrent
How are we supposed to share a country with these people? pic.twitter.com/mwJw0on66U
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) April 26, 2026
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐎𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋 𝐒𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐒𝐎𝐓𝐀 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐘 𝐃𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐂𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐂 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐘 𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐎𝐍 𝐅𝐀𝐂𝐄𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊 𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐄 𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐍 𝐀𝐒𝐒∗𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐌𝐏𝐓.
Above is a screenshot of the Sarasota County Democratic Party’s… pic.twitter.com/DzZuX4SfuO
— M.A. Rothman (@MichaelARothman) April 27, 2026
The fallout has drawn sharp condemnation from Republican leaders, who are calling the rhetoric “disgraceful” and a dangerous escalation of political tension.
Sydney Gruters, a Republican congressional candidate for Florida’s 16th District, was among the first to seize on the post before it was deleted Sunday morning.
“This was not a joke, and it should not be treated like one,” Gruters said in a scathing news release. “People could have been killed last night. Southwest Florida deserves leaders who understand the weight of their words. Political violence is wrong no matter who it targets.”
The Republican Party of Sarasota County joined the fray later Sunday, issuing this statement:
Once again, our nation has been put through an assassination attempt against President Trump during a time of unparalleled hysteria in our nation, driven by the political left and the Democratic Party, calling President Trump a Nazi, fascist, authoritarian, dictator who is destroying the nation, is bound to bring out the crazies. And it has and it will.
While the post has been scrubbed from the Democrats’ social media presence, the digital footprint has left local leaders demanding a formal apology. Gruters insisted that a “deleted post and the hope that no one noticed” is insufficient for the community.
As of Sunday evening, the Sarasota County Democratic Party had not issued an official response to the backlash. Meanwhile, federal investigators continue to probe the security lapses at the Washington Hilton, an incident that has once again put the nation on edge regarding the safety of political figures in an increasingly polarized climate.
