Trump unharmed, suspect in custody after shots fired at White House correspondents dinner
And that was very unexpected. But incredibly acted upon by Secret Service and law enforcement. This was an event dedicated to freedom of speech. That was supposed to bring together members of both parties with members of the press, and in *** certain way it did because the. The fact that they just unified, I saw *** room that was just totally unified. It was in one way very beautiful, *** very beautiful thing to see *** man charged *** security checkpoint armed with multiple weapons. And he was taken down by some very brave members of Secret Service, and they acted very quickly and I’ve just released for purposes of transparency, clarity. I’ve ordered it to be put out. You probably have it by now, put out on truth and put out on many of the platforms, *** tape showing the violence of this thug that attacked our Constitution and also showing how quickly Secret Service and law enforcement acted on. Our country’s behalf really did *** great job. One officer was shot but saved by the fact that he was wearing *** obviously *** very good bulletproof vest. He was shot from very close distance with *** very powerful gun. And the vest did the job. I just spoke to the officer and he’s doing great. He’s in great shape. He is uh. has very high spirits, and we told him we love him and respect him. And he’s *** very proud guy. He’s very proud of what he does, Secret Service agent. And we looked at all of the conditions that took place tonight, and I will say you know it’s not. *** particularly secure building. And I didn’t want to say this, but this is why we have to have all of the Attributes of what we’re planning at the White House, it’s actually *** larger room and it’s much more secure. It’s got, it’s drone proof. It’s bulletproof glass. We need the ballroom. That’s why Secret Service, that’s why the military are demanding it. They’ve wanted the ballroom for 150 years for. Lots of different reasons, but today’s *** little bit different because today we need levels of security that probably nobody’s ever seen before. But everyone owes *** tremendous debt of gratitude to the courage of law enforcement, the law enforcement and working with the DC police, and we just spoke with the mayor, and when we’re finished, the police chief is going to take over and discuss it also from. Their viewpoint. But they also performed exactly as they were supposed to, and you see the attacker in different positions, but you also see the attacker totally subdued and under control. So as you know, this is not the first time in the past couple of years that our republic has been attacked by *** would-be assassin who sought to kill. In Butler, Pennsylvania less than 2 years ago, you all know that story, and in Palm Beach, Florida, *** few months after that. We came close. We really had, again, we had some great work done by law enforcement. But in light of this evening’s events, I ask that all Americans recommit with their hearts in resolving our difference peacefully. We have to. We have to resolve our differences. I will say you had Republicans, Democrats, Independents, conservatives, liberals, and progressives. Those words are interchangeable perhaps, but maybe they’re not. But yet everybody in that room, big crowd, record setting crowd, there was *** record. Setting group of people and there was *** tremendous amount of love and coming together. I watched, I watched and I was very, very impressed by that. But uh we were first lady and I were taken very well care very quickly, very quickly rushed off the stage. Vice President JD Vance, who’s here was likewise uh. Beautifully done. I was, he was just saying how quickly everybody acted law enforcement, Secret Service in particular in this case, but law enforcement Marco had the same thing. Pete was there. Pete didn’t want any help. He didn’t want anybody to help. He doesn’t want anybody to help him, but he did get some, didn’t you? And I think you also said that it was very impressive. So, uh, with that, I’d like to ask Todd Blanche to come up, say *** few words, and tell you it’s already, uh, underway. Uh, the man has been captured. Uh, they’ve, they’re go to his apartment, I guess he lives in California, and he’s *** sick person, *** very sick person. And we don’t want things like this to happen. I think it’s very important that I say though, and I told the representatives of the evening, they did such *** beautiful job. It was such *** beautiful evening. And again they’re talking about free speech in our Constitution. That’s what it’s all about, not just White House correspondents. It’s really, it was really based on free speech in our Constitution, but I said very importantly that we’ll do it again within the next 30 days and we’ll make it bigger and better and even nicer. So I just want to thank everybody that was involved. I also want to thank the press, the media. Uh, you’ve been very responsible in your coverage. I will say I’ve been seeing what’s been out. You’ve been very responsible. So Todd Blench, I’d like to say *** few words. I know we’re gonna have cash, and, uh, then you’re gonna go on, and we can ask, I guess we could take *** couple of questions. Uh, I wanna thank the First Lady for that was *** rather traumatic experience for her. There’s *** lot of action taking place up there very quickly. But again, the response time was really incredible, and we’re going to reschedule. We’re going to do it again. We’re not going to let anybody take over our society. We’re not going to cancel things out. Because we can’t do that. We wanted to stay tonight. I will tell you I, I fought like hell to stay, but they, uh, it was protocol. They said, please, sir, because they didn’t know *** lot of, there was *** lot of action going on and they didn’t know could there be probably *** lone shooter, but we’ll find out. We’ll find out very quickly. They have it very well under control, so I want to thank everybody very much and uh Todd Blanche please. Thank you very much, Mr. President, uh. Tonight you saw. The very worst and the very best of this country. You saw the very worst by the actions of that coward that the president just talked about, but you also saw the very best because you saw law enforcement do exactly what they’re supposed to do, and, and you’ll see the videos come out, I expect very shortly, and you’ll see law enforcement do exactly what we want them to do. And so I echo what Mr. President what President Trump just said, that we are extraordinarily grateful and appreciative of the men and women of law enforcement that. That did their jobs tonight, including one who was who was injured. Um, this investigation is ongoing. I expect you will see charges filed shortly. Uh, the charges should be self-evident given the conduct, but, but as you’ll hear, um, there will be multiple charges surrounding the shooting, around the possession of firearms, and, and anything else that we can get, uh, get on this guy. Um, the investigation is, is obviously ongoing and just started. There is federal law enforcement already. Working on search warrants and doing their job, and I don’t want to get ahead of them, and, and don’t want to get ahead of the work that they’re doing even as we speak. Director Patel and I were just on the crime scene, *** short while ago, and everybody in this room should rest assured that the Metropolitan Police Department, the FBI, Secret Service, um, everybody’s on the scene doing their job. I know that the, the police chief is going to give an update from the scene as soon as we’re finished here, and, and I obviously will lead the the leave the details of what, of what they have learned to him. But in the meantime, I just want to thank, uh, thank everybody in this room for the courage. And I want to thank President Trump for his, for his words, and, and I promise you justice will be served. Thank you, Director Patel. Thank you, General. Thank you, Mr. President. The president’s absolutely right. You saw the best resolve of American law enforcement because you, Mr. President, inspire them 24/7, 365. You give them the resources that they need, and you know, they know that you have their back, and that is *** changing dynamic in this country, and that’s why you saw brave Secret Service agents respond immediately, swiftly, subdue and take down the suspect, and safeguard the lives of thousands of individuals at that hotel. Thanks to our interagency partnership with the Department of Homeland Security. And the Metropolitan Police Department, the FBI was rapidly deployed onto the scene, took over the evidence response unit, is examining all the ballistics that were found on scene to include the long gun and the shell casings. We are conducting witness interviews as we speak. You will hear from our team on the scene there with the mayor and the head of the FBI Field Division there. But please note what the Attorney General has just said reigns no truer. You saw the very best of America tonight, the very best unite us at *** time of uncertainty because we have leadership here with the president, the Vice President that backs law enforcement, and the men and women that I shook their hands on the scene today could not have been prouder to show up on scene. And as the Attorney General said, make no mistake, we are conducting witness interviews. If you have any information. Any information whatsoever related to this event, 1-800-CAL FBI 1-800-CAL FBI. No piece of information is too small. No piece of information is inadequate. We will evaluate it all. We will also be conducting interviews of those that were there. And if any of those individuals have information, please come forward to law enforcement or the FBI or the Metropolitan Police Department. We will be. Examining this individual’s background thoroughly. That process has already started, and we’re going to ensure that he was either *** lone wolf actor or anyone else that was responsible. We will analyze all evidence immediately to make sure that we safeguard this country, Mr. President, Mr. Vice President, thank you for your leadership, Attorney General and Homeland Secretary Marland. Thank you for your partnership in law enforcement. OK, we’ll do *** couple and then we go to the chair. Madam Chairman, uh, I just want to say you did *** fantastic job. What *** beautiful evening and we’re going to reschedule. OK. And after that it’s very tough for her to ask *** killer question, right? But you have done *** fantastic job. Please, thank you, Mr. President, I appreciate it. Um, as you mentioned, it all happened so quickly, and I wonder, especially because Unfortunately you have experience with these sorts of threats. In that moment when you realized there was *** threat and service agents were telling us to get down, can you describe what was going through your mind, how you were feeling in that moment? That’s *** very good question actually. It was, uh, it’s always shocking when something like this happens. It happened to me *** little bit, and that never changes. In fact, we were sitting right next to each other, the First Lady, am I right? And I heard *** noise and sort of thought it was *** tray. I thought it was *** tray going down. I’ve heard that many times and it was pretty loud noise and it was from quite far away. He hadn’t breached the area at all. They really got him, but, uh, so it was quite far away, but it was *** gun. And some people really understood that pretty quickly, other people didn’t. I was watching to see what was happening. Probably should have gone down even faster. Melania was very cognizant, I think, of what happened. I think she knew immediately what happened. She was saying. That’s *** bad noise and uh. Uh, we, we were whisked away along with other people, but we were really whisked away and again, the performance of the Secret Service and the police, all of the law enforcement, I thought it was really good, so it was very quick. There wasn’t *** lot of time to be thinking. Because it was *** matter of seconds before we’re out the door and gone into an area we very much and you wanted to too, we very much wanted to continue it because I don’t like to let these sick people, these thugs, these horrible, horrible people change the fabric of our life, change the course of what we do, so we held, held out you were there, we held out right till the end, but they didn’t want to take *** chance, and I understand it was protocol. But we’re going to be doing one hopefully within the next 30 days or sooner. I am ready, willing, and able, and I was all set to really rip it. And I said to my people, this would be the most inappropriate speech ever made if I said, so I’ll have to save it. I don’t know if I could ever be as rough as I was going to be tonight. I think I’m going to be probably very nice. I’ll be very boring the next time, but we’re going to have *** great event, and you did *** fantastic job. Thank you very much, Peter. Go ahead. Thank you, President Trump. There’s *** report in The New York Post that this assailant assembled his weapon somewhere on site at the hotel. What do you think about that? And uh I ask respectfully, why do you think this keeps happening to you? Well, you know, I’ve studied assassinations. And I must tell you, the most impactful people, the people that do the most, you take *** look at the people, Abraham Lincoln, I mean, you go through the people that have gone through this where they got him. But the people that do the most, the people that make The biggest impact, they’re the ones that they go after. They don’t go after the ones that don’t do much because they like it that way. And when you look at the people that have. Either whether it was an attempt or *** successful attempt, and they’re very impactful people. Just take *** look at the names here. The big names and uh I hate to say I’m honored by that, but I’ve done *** lot we’ve done *** lot we have, we’ve taken this country and we were *** laughing stock for years and now we’re the hottest country anywhere in the world we’ve changed this country. And there are *** lot of people that are not happy about that. So I think that’s the answer, Peter. And after Butler, your team for *** while rethought outdoor events. Yeah. Do you think that you now need to rethink indoor? Well, but then you just don’t do events. No, I can’t do that. I have to, what it, you know, it is what it is. We have to do it. Uh, the room was very, very secure, you know, he charged from 50 yards away, so he was very far away from the room. And what did you think when you saw the video of how fast he was running? He was moving. He was really moving, and the reaction time was great, Boy, those guys, they had their guns drawn literally by the time he was there. They were shooting. They were. I thought they were very impressive. I thought they were very impressive and if I didn’t, I’d let you know, you know, I’m not going to be. I would not stand for that. No, I thought they were very impressed. Thank you, President Trump, and thank you for updating us on the suspect earlier. Were you aware of any threats? Was your team aware of any threats beforehand? And do you believe you were the target of this tonight? I guess. I mean, these people are, they’re crazy. They’re crazy. And you know, you never know. He was very far away from me. He had to go through *** lot. We had, uh, we had resources all over. We had resources sitting at tables, literally in disguise, sitting. Maybe at your table, who knows, but we had, we had people all over the room, so he had *** long way to go. That was really *** first line of defense, and they got him. And they really, you know, they acted incredibly. No, we have, we’ve had no, there was no notification. We had no idea. Go ahead. Well, you never know. Now we’ll be able to tell you that maybe by tomorrow or the next day, you know, he’s in custody and uh they’re asking him *** lot of questions. I guess they’re going over Todd and they’re, they’re already at his apartment. He lives in. Uh, California, and they’ll be, they’re over there, so they’ll be able to tell you. Thank you, Caitlin. President Trump, did the suspect say anything or was he wearing anything that would allege some type of motive here? No, no, I mean he was *** guy who looked pretty evil when he was down, you know, they had him down. He was fighting hard. He was obvious in my opinion, *** sick person. Who would do that but *** sick person. But I think you’re going to find everything about him. No reason to talk about it now, but tomorrow at this time, long before this time, you’re going to know *** lot of things about him. He was ***, they seemed to think he was *** lone wolf, and I feel that too. Are you concerned about US Secret Service protection ability? We saw several of the detainees take minutes to be escorted out of the room. No, they acted very quickly. No, I was very impressed by Secret Service. I mean, I’m the one, and Mark Wain, you would agree with that, I think I’m the one that, uh. Would complain you don’t have to complain for me. I would be complaining. I’d be up here right now saying they didn’t do their job oh believe me because you know it’s my life and I wanna live because I wanna make this country great. That’s why I wanna live. But when you’re impactful, they go after you. When you’re not impactful, they leave you alone. OK, *** couple of, *** couple of more, *** couple of more. Go ahead, please. Is there any indication that this, um, this shooting could have been linked to the war in Iran? I, I don’t think so, but you never know. We’re going to know *** lot. We’ll, uh, we have the best people in the world working on it, and we’re going to know *** lot. Please, President, there’s *** lot, there’s um. You, as well as some of us who have covered Butler, experienced another horrific day two years ago. What’s, what felt similar, you know, you had the First Lady with you today. What felt different, and you have another 2+ years in office. Are you concerned about something like this happening? Well, I can’t be concerned. I, I can only get great people. They did the job, uh, *** much, in my opinion, *** much better job than Butler. Butler had one weak spot that we all know about. Somebody should have been up there. But even Butler, uh, we had ***, uh, our sniper, sniper on our side, within 4.2 seconds. From *** distance of about 400 yards, one shot. And he was gone. And if he didn’t do it now, you know he’s David. His name was David. I say hello David every time I see him. David, I like you very much, David, but think of that now. If he doesn’t hit him and he hit him right between the eyes from 400 yards without any notice, nobody knew. He heard *** sound. He looked over and there was actually *** tree that was somewhat in his way, you know the story very well. He aimed, he fired, and if he didn’t do that beyond me, you would have had *** lot more people killed. We lost one great person and two people very badly hurt. They’re OK now, but, uh, no, that was so in, in *** sense, you know, they, it was pretty amazing the job they did. But, but, uh, but they did have that one weak spot, as you know, they should have had that covered tonight they had everything covered very quickly and he was fast. He was running full blast and they got him. Uh, before they got any further, I was very far away, you know, he was, he hadn’t anywhere close to breach the doors of the ballroom. The ballroom was sealed. And everybody in there. That’s why once those doors opened, they didn’t want to do tonight. If the doors weren’t opened, we could have probably done it tonight, but I think we’re much better off rescheduling. Yes, please, Mr. President, for you and perhaps law enforcement as well, what is the level of confidence that this was *** lone actor, and has the suspect made any statements to police while in custody? I think I’m just my look at my profession. We have great professionals up here and outside that have been working with us. Uh, my impression is he, he was ***, *** lone wolf, uh, whack job. These are crazy people. These are crazy people, and they have to be dealt with. We had that in the second attempt, uh, as you know, and he’s, he’s spending life in prison. Because if you let him out they’ll probably, you know, if he serves 10 years or 15 years, you let him out he’ll probably try it again with somebody else. They’re sick people. We have *** lot of sick people, but you’re gonna know, uh, I think very shortly you’re gonna know Todd, uh, *** lot about him. You’re gonna know *** lot about him. You have *** couple of more. Yeah, please go ahead. Are you concerned about political violence? This could be politically motivated violence. I’m concerned about everything, but I can’t be so concerned that you can’t function. No, I’m, I’m here. It’s *** dangerous profession. You know, I tell the story, race car drivers, I think it’s very dangerous, so. If you take 1% and then take about 10% of 1%, just to break it down very easily, they die. So much less than 1%, 10% of 1%. I think bull riding is very dangerous if you take about the same 10% of 1%, much less than 1%. But if you take precedence, it’s 5.8%. And about 8% are shot at, so. Nobody told me this was such *** dangerous profession. If Marco would have told me, maybe I wouldn’t have run. Maybe I would have said I’ll take *** pass. No, it’s *** dangerous profession, but I don’t view it that way. Look, I’m here to do *** job, uh, it’s part of the job. It is *** dangerous, it’s, I can’t imagine that there’s any profession that’s more dangerous, but I love the country and I’m very proud. I’m very proud of the job we’ve done. You see what’s happened. We have *** great country. We’ve got. I think the most successful, the hottest country anywhere in the world, this happened over *** period of just *** year, and we’re gonna do great things, but with that come risks. There’s no question about it, yeah, to that end, I mean, there’s been so much political violence, not just aimed at yourself, but at other members of, you know, members of Congress, state House speakers, you name it. Is that just the cost of doing business to do politics in America anymore? Yeah, well, what does that say about our country, you know, we’re not the only country. You look at there’s great violence with all countries. I was talking to somebody from another country, uh, today. And they have numerous assassinations of political figures all over the world. You look at South America and South America, it’s like some of the numbers are just horrific. It’s dangerous. It’s dangerous stuff, whether it’s here or someplace else. Uh, no country is immune. No country. Good question. that temperature down at this point? Well, probably if I decided to just. Not too much, you know, if I let everybody rip us off and take advantage of us. Look, we’re leading the world in trade now. We’re leading the world in the military. We’re the greatest military in the world. I rebuilt it in my first term and now we use it because we have no choice. We can’t let, as an example, Iran, we can’t let them get *** nuclear weapon. That’ll everything will be peanuts compared to that if they ever were given *** nuclear weapon, and they’d use it too. Marco and I were talking about it today. They would use it without even hesitation. We can’t do that. It was *** shame. I said, oh boy, look at the numbers. We just broke 50,000 in the Dow. We just broke 7000 in the S&P. They said we couldn’t do it in 7 years, in 5 years, 4 years. They were saying maybe in 5 or 6 years, and we did it in 1 year, and I called everybody together. I called all of these people and others and they said, uh. We have to take *** little journey. I seek to do this. We just had the great number. We just broke 50,000. Wasn’t supposed to happen during my term. Wasn’t reachable. We did it in one year and I said. We’re going to have to make *** journey to Iran. They, they’re going to have *** nuclear weapon if we don’t do it. We had the B-2 bombers take them out. I terminated in the first term the Obama agreement, the Iran nuclear agreement, which was *** disaster. That was *** road to *** nuclear weapon. They would have used it. They would have used it 100%. So you know when you do things like that, you become *** target. If I wasn’t doing that, I guess I’d be *** lot less of *** target, but I’m honored to be. OK. One more question. Go ahead. Yeah, go ahead. Thank you, President Trump. Thank you, President Trump. Uh, do you know how the gun was brought into the hotel and also how does this event impact you as the leader of our country? Do you think it will change? I like not to think about it. Uh, I lead *** pretty normal life considering, you know, it’s *** dangerous life. I think I’m, I think I handle it as well as, as well as it can be handled. I think *** lot of other people, you know, you read stories where they become basket cases, to be honest with you, I’m not *** basket case. I, I take really take it as it is. I do it for the country. I’m not doing it for any other reason. I have *** first lady who’s doing *** terrific job. She loves the country and uh she recognizes it better than anybody. She’s told me numerous times. You are in *** dangerous job, but that goes along with her too. I mean it’s dangerous for her too. We sat there tonight, we heard that noise and It was either *** tray or *** bullet. I thought I was hoping it was *** tray, but it wasn’t and uh again we had some very brave people doing *** great job, so we’re very proud of them and happy with them. I just want to thank everybody. They will be able to give you all that information as to uh. The names and everything else, most of, I think we released the names already, most, most of you would have it, but his name, uh, we appreciate it. I see so many tuxedos and beautiful dresses. It was *** little different evening than we thought, but we’re going to do it again and we’re gonna, we have *** great chairman who who we’re so proud of and we have to make it better. We’ll make it safer, I guess, right? But we’re going to make it even better. OK, thank you very much. Thank you. You talked about how impactful this was. Can we hear from her about honey, would you want to say something? OK. Right. Many of the people across the globe, in fact, are watching you. Uh, you demonstrated, uh, courageous leadership, and thank God you’re alive. All of us are alive today. What is the message that you want to give to the world that this should change? What corrective measures can we take from here on? Well, all you can do, look, I don’t care how many people you have, how good they are, they can be the greatest people. You have the greatest security in history. If you have *** whack job who’s got *** brain, but, It’s *** little bit distorted or *** lot distorted. They can make trouble, I would say, Pete, right? You know, they can make trouble. Some of these people are of genius level I you. And they’re nuts, so it could be trouble. So you do absolutely the best you get the best we have the best people. Well, look, they, it, it was proven tonight. He, he started running from 50 yards and he was fast. He was like *** blur on tape. He was moving. They turned it was very impressive the way they got him because *** lot of people would be looking and saying, you know, it’s like *** weird feeling. And they would let him get through, but they didn’t let him get through. They, they drew those guns so fast, looked like they looked like Matt Dillon. They looked like somebody that knew what they were doing. What do we do, but. It comes with the territory and if you want to do *** great job, I really believe that and you take *** look at what’s happened to some of our greatest presidents and. It doesn’t happen to people that don’t do anything, and it’s not going to deter me from winning the war in Iran. I don’t know if that had anything to do with it. I really don’t think so based on what we know, but we’re going to continue to do *** great job. That’s all I can do. Thank you very much. We’ll see you tomorrow. Thank you.
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A man armed with guns and knives stormed the lobby outside the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner attended by President Donald Trump on Saturday night, charging toward the ballroom in a chaotic encounter with Secret Service agents as guests dived under tables at the sound of shots being fired.The president was uninjured and was rushed off the stage. The armed man, who officials said was a guest at the Washington Hilton where the dinner was being held, was taken into custody and was expected in court Monday. Police believe he opened fire and acted alone, but did not say who his intended target was or describe a motive.Video above: Full President Donald Trump news conference following shooting at White House correspondents dinner“When you’re impactful, they go after you. When you’re not impactful, they leave you alone,” Trump, safe and uninjured and still in his tuxedo, said at the White House two hours later. “They seem to think he was a lone wolf.” The shooting unfolded just outside the vast subterranean ballroom holding thousands of dinner guests, disrupting minutes after it began an annual event meant to honor journalism and the First Amendment that was being especially scrutinized this year because it was the first time since Trump became president that he had attended. Trump told reporters later that he hoped the event would be rescheduled within 30 days, though the fact that an armed man was able to rush toward the ballroom raised instant questions about security precautions at an event attended each year by senior government officials.Video posted by Trump showed the suspect running past security barricades as Secret Service agents ran toward him. One officer was shot in a bullet-resistant vest but was recovering, officials said. The gunman was tackled to the ground and was not injured, but was being evaluated at a hospital, police said.The shooting suspect was identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, according to two law enforcement officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation. He is facing two firearm-related charges, including a count of assaulting an officer with a deadly weapon.Inside the ballroom, guests scurried for cover at the sound of shots while Secret Service agents, including the heavily-armed counterassault team, swarmed the stage after the incident.Vice President JD Vance was removed from the room first, while agents initially covered Trump in place before escorting him and First Lady Melania Trump from the room. Trump briefly stumbled on the way offstage before being assisted by his security detail.He was held for some time in a secure presidential suite at the hotel as the president and organizers initially sought to resume the event — hotel staff refolded napkins and refilled water glasses, and aides adjusted the teleprompter for the president — before Trump was returned to the White House on the advice of the Secret Service.It was the third time since 2024 that the president had been under threat by an attacker in his immediate vicinity — including the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, that injured him and killed a local firefighter.Video below: White House Correspondents’ Dinner evacuated amid security breach, shooting“Today we need levels of security that probably nobody has ever seen before,” the president said. But he also said, “We’re not going to let anybody take over our society.”FBI Director Kash Patel, flanking Trump, said the agency is examining a long gun and shell casings recovered from the scene, as well as interviewing witnesses from the dinner. He urged anyone with information to come forward.Video below: Video shows Donald Trump being whisked off stageDinner turns to disorderGuests were dining on a spring pea and burrata salad when noise began — noise Trump said he initially thought was a tray dropping, but some journalists believed was five to eight gunshots.The Secret Service and other authorities swarmed the room as guests ducked under tables by the hundreds. Audible gasps echoed through the ballroom as guests realized something was happening; hundreds of journalists immediately got on phones to call in information.“Out of the way, sir!” someone yelled. Others yelled to duck. From one corner, a “God Bless America” chant began as the president was escorted offstage. Outside the hotel, members of the National Guard and other authorities flooded the area as helicopters circled overhead.After an initial attempt to resume, the event was scrapped for the night and will be rescheduled.“We will do this again,” said Weijia Jiang, president of the White House Correspondents’ Association. Shortly afterward, staff began breaking down table settings and the presidential lectern. House Speaker Mike Johnson said he and his wife, Kelly, who both attended the event, were “praying for our country tonight.” The House Democratic leader, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, wrote on social media, “The violence and chaos in America must end.”The banquet hall — where hundreds of prominent journalists, celebrities and national leaders were awaiting Trump’s remarks — was immediately evacuated. Members of the National Guard took up position inside the building as people were allowed to leave but not immediately reenter. Security outside was also extremely tight.Republican Rep. Mike Lawler of New York, a guest at the dinner, said he heard a pop and “we didn’t know what the hell it was. And then you heard all sorts of things clatter.” Lawler said he gets “death threats often” and said, “I think we live in a climate where everybody recognizes it’s a problem, but I don’t think people fully appreciate how much of a problem it really is.”The event had initially appeared set to resume after the disorder. Servers refolded napkins and refilled water glasses in preparation for Trump’s return. Another worker prepared the president’s teleprompter for the remarks he was scheduled to make.Video below: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. evacuated after shots fired at White House correspondents dinnerGenerally, the Hilton hotel, where the dinner has taken place for years, remains open to regular guests during the correspondents’ dinner, and security has typically been focused on the ballroom rather than the hotel at large, with little screening for people not entering the dinner itself. In past years, that has created openings for disruptions in the lobby and other public spaces, including protests in which security moved to remove guests who unfurled banners or staged demonstrations. In 1981, President Ronald Reagan was shot by John Hinckley Jr. outside the Hilton — an event that prompted redesigns of the property that increased security and added a special presidential suite near the entrance where chief executives could be taken. Trump was dispatched there briefly after the incident Saturday night.Event would have highlighted Trump’s relationship with reportersTrump’s attendance at Saturday’s annual dinner in Washington for his first time as president was expected to put his administration’s often-contentious relationship with the press on full public display.Trump arrived to an event where the leaders of a nation at war mingled with celebrities, journalists and even a puppet — Triumph the Insult Comic Dog — in a dinner that typically generates debate about whether the relationship between journalists and their sources should include socializing together and putting aside sometimes adversarial relationships. Trump was being watched closely at the event held by the organization of reporters who cover him and his administration. Past presidents who have attended have generally spoken about the importance of free speech and the First Amendment, adding in some light roasts about individual journalists.The Republican president did not attend during his first term or the first year of his second. He came as a guest in 2011, sitting in the audience as President Barack Obama, a Democrat, made some jokes about the New York real estate developer. Trump also attended as a private citizen in 2015.Video below: The latest from the White House correspondents dinnerTrump entered the banquet hall of the Washington Hilton to the strains of “Hail to the Chief” and greeted prominent journalists on the dais, also pausing to laud White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt with a cheerful pointing of his finger.Past dinners have also featured comedians who poke at presidents. This year, the group opted to hire mentalist Oz Pearlman as the featured entertainment.Between berating individual reporters, fighting organizations like The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Associated Press in court and restricting press access to the Pentagon, the administration’s animus toward journalists has been a fixture of Trump’s second term.Video below: Surveillance video shows shooting at White House correspondents dinner A few dozen protesters stood across the hotel in the run-up to the event. One was dressed in a prison uniform, wearing a Pete Hegseth mask and red gloves. Another carried a sign saying, “Journalism is dead.” AP journalists Eric Tucker, Michael Balsamo, Zeke Miller and Anna Johnson contributed to this report.
A man armed with guns and knives stormed the lobby outside the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner attended by President Donald Trump on Saturday night, charging toward the ballroom in a chaotic encounter with Secret Service agents as guests dived under tables at the sound of shots being fired.
The president was uninjured and was rushed off the stage. The armed man, who officials said was a guest at the Washington Hilton where the dinner was being held, was taken into custody and was expected in court Monday. Police believe he opened fire and acted alone, but did not say who his intended target was or describe a motive.
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Video above: Full President Donald Trump news conference following shooting at White House correspondents dinner
“When you’re impactful, they go after you. When you’re not impactful, they leave you alone,” Trump, safe and uninjured and still in his tuxedo, said at the White House two hours later. “They seem to think he was a lone wolf.”
The shooting unfolded just outside the vast subterranean ballroom holding thousands of dinner guests, disrupting minutes after it began an annual event meant to honor journalism and the First Amendment that was being especially scrutinized this year because it was the first time since Trump became president that he had attended. Trump told reporters later that he hoped the event would be rescheduled within 30 days, though the fact that an armed man was able to rush toward the ballroom raised instant questions about security precautions at an event attended each year by senior government officials.
Video posted by Trump showed the suspect running past security barricades as Secret Service agents ran toward him. One officer was shot in a bullet-resistant vest but was recovering, officials said. The gunman was tackled to the ground and was not injured, but was being evaluated at a hospital, police said.
The shooting suspect was identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, according to two law enforcement officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation. He is facing two firearm-related charges, including a count of assaulting an officer with a deadly weapon.
Inside the ballroom, guests scurried for cover at the sound of shots while Secret Service agents, including the heavily-armed counterassault team, swarmed the stage after the incident.
Vice President JD Vance was removed from the room first, while agents initially covered Trump in place before escorting him and First Lady Melania Trump from the room. Trump briefly stumbled on the way offstage before being assisted by his security detail.
He was held for some time in a secure presidential suite at the hotel as the president and organizers initially sought to resume the event — hotel staff refolded napkins and refilled water glasses, and aides adjusted the teleprompter for the president — before Trump was returned to the White House on the advice of the Secret Service.
It was the third time since 2024 that the president had been under threat by an attacker in his immediate vicinity — including the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, that injured him and killed a local firefighter.
Video below: White House Correspondents’ Dinner evacuated amid security breach, shooting
“Today we need levels of security that probably nobody has ever seen before,” the president said. But he also said, “We’re not going to let anybody take over our society.”
FBI Director Kash Patel, flanking Trump, said the agency is examining a long gun and shell casings recovered from the scene, as well as interviewing witnesses from the dinner. He urged anyone with information to come forward.
Video below: Video shows Donald Trump being whisked off stage
Dinner turns to disorder
Guests were dining on a spring pea and burrata salad when noise began — noise Trump said he initially thought was a tray dropping, but some journalists believed was five to eight gunshots.
The Secret Service and other authorities swarmed the room as guests ducked under tables by the hundreds. Audible gasps echoed through the ballroom as guests realized something was happening; hundreds of journalists immediately got on phones to call in information.
“Out of the way, sir!” someone yelled. Others yelled to duck. From one corner, a “God Bless America” chant began as the president was escorted offstage. Outside the hotel, members of the National Guard and other authorities flooded the area as helicopters circled overhead.
After an initial attempt to resume, the event was scrapped for the night and will be rescheduled.
“We will do this again,” said Weijia Jiang, president of the White House Correspondents’ Association. Shortly afterward, staff began breaking down table settings and the presidential lectern.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said he and his wife, Kelly, who both attended the event, were “praying for our country tonight.” The House Democratic leader, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, wrote on social media, “The violence and chaos in America must end.”
The banquet hall — where hundreds of prominent journalists, celebrities and national leaders were awaiting Trump’s remarks — was immediately evacuated. Members of the National Guard took up position inside the building as people were allowed to leave but not immediately reenter. Security outside was also extremely tight.
Republican Rep. Mike Lawler of New York, a guest at the dinner, said he heard a pop and “we didn’t know what the hell it was. And then you heard all sorts of things clatter.” Lawler said he gets “death threats often” and said, “I think we live in a climate where everybody recognizes it’s a problem, but I don’t think people fully appreciate how much of a problem it really is.”
The event had initially appeared set to resume after the disorder. Servers refolded napkins and refilled water glasses in preparation for Trump’s return. Another worker prepared the president’s teleprompter for the remarks he was scheduled to make.
Video below: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. evacuated after shots fired at White House correspondents dinner
Generally, the Hilton hotel, where the dinner has taken place for years, remains open to regular guests during the correspondents’ dinner, and security has typically been focused on the ballroom rather than the hotel at large, with little screening for people not entering the dinner itself. In past years, that has created openings for disruptions in the lobby and other public spaces, including protests in which security moved to remove guests who unfurled banners or staged demonstrations.
In 1981, President Ronald Reagan was shot by John Hinckley Jr. outside the Hilton — an event that prompted redesigns of the property that increased security and added a special presidential suite near the entrance where chief executives could be taken. Trump was dispatched there briefly after the incident Saturday night.
Event would have highlighted Trump’s relationship with reporters
Trump’s attendance at Saturday’s annual dinner in Washington for his first time as president was expected to put his administration’s often-contentious relationship with the press on full public display.
Trump arrived to an event where the leaders of a nation at war mingled with celebrities, journalists and even a puppet — Triumph the Insult Comic Dog — in a dinner that typically generates debate about whether the relationship between journalists and their sources should include socializing together and putting aside sometimes adversarial relationships.
Trump was being watched closely at the event held by the organization of reporters who cover him and his administration. Past presidents who have attended have generally spoken about the importance of free speech and the First Amendment, adding in some light roasts about individual journalists.
The Republican president did not attend during his first term or the first year of his second. He came as a guest in 2011, sitting in the audience as President Barack Obama, a Democrat, made some jokes about the New York real estate developer. Trump also attended as a private citizen in 2015.
Video below: The latest from the White House correspondents dinner
Trump entered the banquet hall of the Washington Hilton to the strains of “Hail to the Chief” and greeted prominent journalists on the dais, also pausing to laud White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt with a cheerful pointing of his finger.
Past dinners have also featured comedians who poke at presidents. This year, the group opted to hire mentalist Oz Pearlman as the featured entertainment.
Between berating individual reporters, fighting organizations like The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Associated Press in court and restricting press access to the Pentagon, the administration’s animus toward journalists has been a fixture of Trump’s second term.
Video below: Surveillance video shows shooting at White House correspondents dinner
A few dozen protesters stood across the hotel in the run-up to the event. One was dressed in a prison uniform, wearing a Pete Hegseth mask and red gloves. Another carried a sign saying, “Journalism is dead.”
AP journalists Eric Tucker, Michael Balsamo, Zeke Miller and Anna Johnson contributed to this report.
