Former President Barack Obama sparked controversy with his recent claim that there was no motive behind the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting.

In a statement posted on X Sunday evening, Obama wrote: “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 us to reject the idea that violence has any place in our democracy.”

The incident occurred during the White House Correspondents’ Association event at the Washington Hilton Hotel, where a shooter named Cole Allen stormed security and fired shots.

However, a manifesto left by Allen — which was released shortly before Obama’s statement — detailed his intent to target President Trump and members of his administration. The document outlined Allen’s grievances with the Trump administration and expressed explicit plans for violence against officials.

Conservatives have criticized Obama for stating there was no motive, pointing to the manifesto that explicitly named the president and his officials as targets.

Obama’s post has garnered nearly 52 million views since its release on social media. Critics argue that by ignoring the shooter’s explicit targets, Obama misrepresented the situation.