In Wisconsin, a high school social studies teacher was placed on administrative leave after a now-deleted post referencing historical presidential assassins, while an Ohio day care teacher was fired after posting a video appearing to express disappointment that President Donald Trump was not harmed, local media reported.
Authorities have described Saturday’s attack at the dinner, which was held at the Washington Hilton, as an attempted assassination of Trump.
The suspect breached a security area near the ballroom, armed with guns and knives, before he was tackled. Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Cabinet members and other high-ranking attendees were protected by the Secret Service.
Cole Tomas Allen, 31, who was arrested and charged with attempting to assassinate the president, now faces life in prison.
Newsweek has contacted the White House for comment via email.
Wisconsin Teacher Posts ‘Make Americans Great Assassins Again’ After WHCD Attack
The Kaukauna Area School District placed Patrick Meyer, a social studies teacher at Kaukauna High School, on administrative leave following a post on X that referenced presidential assassins after the correspondents’ dinner shooting, according to WLUK-TV, a local Fox-affiliated news station in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Meyer’s X account appears to have been deleted. But a screenshot of a post attributed to him has circulated online, saying: “I am not impressed with recent presidential assassins. It’s f****** embarrassing! Booth, Guiteau, Czolgosz, Oswald must all be spinning in their graves! MAGAA (make Americans great assassins again)! Sad!”
U.S. Representative Tony Wied, a Republican representing Wisconsin’s 8th District, wrote in response to the screenshot: “This type of disgusting rhetoric has no place in our society and does not represent our values in #WI08. It is not the example that our teachers should be setting for Northeast Wisconsin students.”
The Kaukauna Area School District told Newsweek that it had “placed [an] employee on administrative leave and is taking additional action to review the matter in accordance with its policies and procedures.”
“The Kaukauna Area School District is committed to maintaining a safe and supportive learning environment for all students, families, and staff, and unequivocally rejects any conduct, expression, or behavior that may encourage, condone, or promote violence in any form,” it added.
During a school board meeting in Kaukauna on Monday night, parents spoke out against Meyer, WLUK-TV reported.
“His comment was, ‘Make assassinations great again.’ What does this teach our kids? ‘If you disagree with someone, we should just kill them.’ Right?” Jennifer Schaefer said.
In the comments section of Wied’s post, many social media users criticized Meyer’s comment, but some defended him as well.
One wrote, “Mr. Meyer is a wonderful teacher—kind and respectful. His teaching and personal opinions have always been clearly separate, speaking from experience.”
Newsweek has contacted Meyer and Kaukauna High School for comment via email.
Ohio Day Care Teacher Fired After Post About WHCD Attack
In the Cincinnati area of Ohio, BrightPath Bridgetown Child Care Center ended its employment of Corinne Baum after she appeared in a social media video reacting to the news of the failed assassination attempt at the White House correspondents’ dinner, according to WXIX-TV, a local Fox-affiliated news station serving the Cincinnati metro area.
In a 20-second TikTok clip shared widely on X, including by the conservative account Libs of TikTok, Baum said: “There’s been a few creators on here saying that like Friday or yesterday could have been the day. And then I wake up to that news, but not THAT news.” Baum appears to have made her TikTok account private.
BrightPath said in a statement to Fox 19: “Our organization does not tolerate and explicitly condemns any calls for violence. The comments made online by this individual are deeply inconsistent with our values. The individual in question has been terminated.”
Newsweek has contacted BrightPath and the Oak Hills Local School District for comment via email.
Firings Over Social Media Posts
Public and private employers have taken action over posts celebrating or appearing to condone political violence in other recent high-profile cases, namely previous assassination attempts against Trump and the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in September.
Following the July 2024 attempted assassination of Trump at a Butler, Pennsylvania, rally, multiple individuals lost their jobs over posts expressing disappointment that the attack failed, with employment lawyers noting limits of First Amendment protections in private workplaces.
Last year, after the fatal shooting of Kirk, teachers, professors and other workers were fired or suspended over social media comments, raising recurring debates over free speech and professional conduct.
A Wisconsin brewery’s social media post that appeared to cheer Saturday’s attempt on Trump’s life, has prompted bipartisan condemnation, including from a White House spokesperson who called the rhetoric “extremely dangerous.”
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