The shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner has exposed a serious security vulnerability surrounding President Donald Trump and other senior U.S. officials, a former Defense Department intelligence officer has warned.

And with tensions between Washington and Tehran rising and ceasefire talks stalled, Andrew Badger told Fox News Digital the April 25 breach could further increase Iran’s “motivation” to target Trump and others in the administration.

“This could show that there is a vulnerability in terms of potentially accessing President Trump or senior officials,” Badger said before warning of “significant vulnerabilities.”

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“When you’re looking at your adversary, and you’re seeing weakness, it also fuels motivation,” he said before claiming that “Iran has the motive to strike at senior Trump officials, including President Trump.”

“Iran, which has a demonstrated history of using criminals and proxy individuals, could certainly look at this as an opportunity.”

Chaos broke out at the Washington Hilton Hotel when a suspected gunman, identified as 31-year-old Cole Thomas Allen of Torrance, California, stormed a security checkpoint and opened fire.

Trump and other administration officials were rushed out of the ballroom as law enforcement responded. Allen is currently in custody and made an initial court appearance on Monday.

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The gathering included Trump, first lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, journalists and senior administration officials — a concentration of leadership that Badger said presented significant risk.

“The top three of the line of succession were at this single event,” Badger noted.

He added that “eight of the nine line-of-succession officials were at this single event,” warning of a worst-case scenario: “If this individual would have somehow worn a suicide vest, you could have eliminated all three of those individuals.”

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“Imagine if there were multiple people. Imagine if he was wearing suicide vests. Imagine if he used some type of drone,” Badger said, emphasizing the scale of potential exposure at a nonsecure venue.

The incident, he said, unfolds against the backdrop of ongoing tensions with Iran, which have escalated amid U.S. and Israeli targeting of Iranian officials and leadership.

Badger pointed to longstanding Iranian hostility tied to the 2020 killing of Qassem Soleimani, the commander of Iran’s Quds Force, who was killed in a U.S. drone strike near Baghdad International Airport ordered by Trump.

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“There has been a driving animus, a driving motivation in the Iranian regime — which they’ve stated publicly — to get revenge for that killing of Soleimani,” said Badger, who served on the front lines of human intelligence operations, including a 2014 deployment to Afghanistan.

After Soleimani was killed, Ayatollah Khamenei warned that those responsible for the attack would face “severe revenge,” adding that the death would strengthen and intensify resistance against the United States and Israel.

Badger warned that Iran and other adversaries have increasingly relied on unconventional tactics. “Iran and other state actors such as Russia have increasingly reverted to contracting criminals, or gangsters, to conduct hybrid warfare,” he said.

Following the incident, Trump underscored the need for more secure venues, advocating for a dedicated White House ballroom.

“It’s got every single bell and whistle you can possibly have for security and safety… It’s really what you need,” Trump said on Fox News’ “The Sunday Briefing.”

The latest controversy hovering over liberal comedian Jimmy Kimmel is leaving a sour taste among those in ABC’s orbit.

Kimmel is under fire yet again, this time for a poorly-timed joke he made targeting President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump just two days before Saturday’s shocking assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) Dinner, where the Trumps and nearly the entire Cabinet were located.

On his own program, the late-night host depicted his own version of the WHCA Dinner where he emceed the annual gala, and leveled several jabs at both the president and first lady.

“Our first lady, Melania, is here. Look at Melania, so beautiful. Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow,” Kimmel said, sparking laughs from the liberal audience.

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Both President Trump and first lady Melania Trump issued statements calling for Kimmel’s firing from the Disney-owned network.

One ABC staffer took a swipe at its parent company for repeatedly being swept up in the comedian’s drama.

“The government should have zero say about who is on air,” the ABC staffer told Fox News Digital. “But if I were the head of a media company—news, sitcoms, whatever—I’d think long and hard about the country I wanted to mirror back to my viewers.”

“The ‘Ted Lasso’ model where people are fundamentally good and flawed and trying their best to build in their communities? Or the ‘House of Cards’ model where everyone is cruel, and you get ahead by not caring about anything except your team and its power,” they continued, adding such standards should also be applied to anyone occupying the Oval Office as well.

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An entertainment lawyer who represents ABC talent also knocked the House of Mouse.

“Disney has lost its way, its identification with wholesome, American values,” the lawyer said. “What does Kimmel have to do that affects his employer’s image, what would he have to say [to face consequences]?”

The lawyer added they were “embarrassed for Disney” after the fallout over Kimmel’s latest remarks.

“At some point, you’ve got to stand up and say, this is America. Are these values the ones you want to portray?” the lawyer told Fox News Digital.

It’s not just the Trumps and their supporters who are critical of Kimmel. Former Obama advisor David Axelrod called the joke “tasteless” and called on him to apologize. 

Disney did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital‘s requests for comment.

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Kimmel’s job appeared to have been in jeopardy last fall following explosive remarks he made following the assassination of conservative icon Charlie Kirk when he suggested that suspect Tyler Robinson was part of the “MAGA gang.”

The comment sparked outrage among conservatives, leading to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr to issue a veiled threat against Disney and ABC stations around the country owned by Nexstar and Sinclair Broadcast Group  preempted “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”

Amid the growing backlash, Disney announced that Kimmel would be off the air “indefinitely.” That in itself sparked further backlash from the left with hundreds of protesters gathered outside Disney’s offices in Burbank, California, demanding that the network return “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” to the air and thousands of canceled Disney+ and Hulu subscriptions. Less than a week later, Kimmel returned to air and he tearfully walked back his comments.

It is unclear whether Disney will maintain its support for Kimmel this time around. The Kirk controversy took place under CEO Bob Iger, who reportedly made the call to temporarily bench the host. Iger has since stepped down and handed the reins to Josh D’Amaro in March, marking his first major crisis as the company’s leader.

Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California, the 31-year-old accused of targeting Trump and top Cabinet officials Saturday, is facing three counts, including attempting to assassinate the President of the United States, transporting a firearm across state lines, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. Top DOJ officials said Monday that additional charges are expected, and he faces life imprisonment.

Fox News’ David Rutz contributed to this report.

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