Trump Denies Calling ABC's Jonathan Karl After Assassination Attempt at WHCA Dinner

President Donald Trump said Monday he did not call ABC News chief Washington correspondent Jonathan Karl after last month's White House Correspondents' Association Dinner.

An armed gunman rushed past a security checkpoint at the annual WHCA Dinner in an apparent assassination attempt. Secret Service agents tackled him to the ground and took him into custody. No one suffered serious injuries amid the chaos, but agents rushed Trump offstage as thousands of attendees ducked under ballroom tables for cover.

The next morning, Karl told ABC viewers that Trump had called his home to check on him. Trump denied making the call.

"Jonathan Karl, of ABC Fake News, made a statement that I called him early in the morning, the day after the assassination attempt, to ask whether or not HE was OK. No, this was a hit on ME, not HIM, and I didn’t make such a call, why would I do that? He called me, but I didn’t take his call — He just confirmed that to me when he called again. I would say that’s very dishonest reporting," Trump posted on Truth Social.

Trump added, "He’s trying to make himself look important but, I’m not surprised, because it comes from ABC Fake News!"

Trump's post contradicts Karl's account on ABC's "This Week" the morning after the dinner.

"My phone rang shortly after 7 a.m.… my landline, George, actually a number that few people call, and it was President Trump calling. He said, at first, he was calling to see if I was OK with what happened last night, ‘Are you OK?’ Then he reiterated many of the things he said in his press conference," Karl told George Stephanopoulos.

ABC News did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Cole Allen, 31, faces federal charges of attempting to assassinate the president, transporting a gun across state lines, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. Authorities say he ran through a Secret Service checkpoint and opened fire one floor below where Trump and several Cabinet officials attended the gala.

Allen allegedly wrote a manifesto showing he targeted Trump and administration members over political grievances.

Trump has criticized ABC News, which Disney owns, for bias against him. ABC settled a 2025 defamation lawsuit with then-President-elect Trump for $15 million after Stephanopoulos wrongly said Trump was found liable for rape in a civil trial. ABC also paid $1 million for Trump's legal fees.

Trump has called for ABC to fire late-night host Jimmy Kimmel over the comedian's joke about Trump becoming an expectant widow.