US Politics
Everything we know about the White House Correspondents’ dinner shooting
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President Donald Trump applauded the Secret Service and law enforcement for acting quickly after a shooter opened fire at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner at the Washington Hilton Hotel Saturday evening.
After being evacuated from the venue, along with other members of the administration, the president wrote on Truth Social that it was “quite an evening” and said he recommended the annual dinner continue as planned. Around 8:30 p.m., shooting suspect Cole Tomas Allen, 31, rushed security armed with a shotgun and other weapons, authorities said. He shot one Secret Service officer before being detained. The president and other members of the Cabinet were rushed from the nearby ballroom.
“I was watching to see what was happening, probably should have gotten down even faster,” Trump said at a briefing shortly after the incident. “Melania was very cognizant, I think, of what happened. I think she knew immediately what happened. She was saying, ‘That’s a bad noise.’”
Trump said that when the chaos unfolded, he first thought it was someone dropping a tray.
“I heard a noise and sort of thought it was a tray. I thought it was a tray going down,” he said. “I’ve heard that many times, and it was a pretty loud noise, and it was from quite far away.”
“It’s a dangerous profession,” Trump said when asked if he was concerned about his personal safety.
One U.S. Secret Service agent was shot but the president said he was in “great shape.”
“I told him we love him and respect him and he’s a very proud guy,” the president said.
What happened
Shortly after the appetizers were served, dinner attendees heard several gunshots ring out.
Reporters from The Independent, who were seated at a table in the back of the ballroom, said they heard approximately five gunshots before watching agents draw their firearms. Upon realizing what was happening, guests took cover underneath tables.
Secret Service swarmed the banquet hall, yelling at the president to get out of the way and demanding that people duck.
The president and first lady were swiftly removed from the scene. One woman, who was seated at a table with reporters, began crying, saying the incident was the scariest thing she had ever experienced, according to The Independent’s John Bowden.
Wolf Blitzer, a long-time CNN journalist, said he saw “the shooter was clearly on the ground.”
Other members of the Trump administration who were in attendance, including Vice President JD Vance, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. They were also taken from the facility in the shooting’s aftermath.
The president immediately returned to the White House and spoke to the nation from the press briefing room.
Trump’s appearance at this year’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner marked the first time he was attending the annual event that raises money for the White House Correspondents’ Association since he became president in 2016.
Who is the shooter?
The shooting suspect was identified as a 31-year-old Cole Allen from California. He was taken to the hospital after the shooting and was charged with two federal counts, including use of a firearm during a violent crime and assaulting a federal officer with a dangerous weapon, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said.
DC Metro Police Chief Jeffery W. Carroll said investigators believe Allen was a guest at the hotel.
The Secret Service established the security plan for the event and officials believed it worked to stop the gunman, Carroll said.
The suspected gunman was not shot as he was taken to the ground by officers.
One Secret Service agent was shot from close range as Allen charged the security station, but the bullet struck the agent’s bulletproof vest. The president said the agent was “doing great” and in “good spirits” after being shot.
The name of the injured officer has not been released.
How did a gun get inside the premises?
The California man accused of firing shots in the hotel rushed through the security checkpoint armed with multiple firearms, the president said. Officials later said he was armed with a shotgun, handgun and multiple knives.
In a video posted to Truth Social, members of the Secret Service can be seen drawing their firearms after the shooter sprints through the security checkpoint.
Trump told reporters the suspect charged from 50 yards away.
What did Trump say after?
Addressing reporters shortly after the shooting, the president praised law enforcement and members of the media for responding swiftly and truthfully to the incident.
“Quite an evening in D.C. Secret Service and Law Enforcement did a fantastic job. They acted quickly and bravely. The shooter has been apprehended, and I have recommended that we ‘LET THE SHOW GO ON’ but, will entirely be guided by Law Enforcement. They will make a decision shortly. Regardless of that decision, the evening will be much different than planned, and we’ll just, plain, have to do it again. President DONALD J. TRUMP,” he wrote on Truth Social after the event.
The event was later canceled and Trump said it would be held at a later date.
Trump insisted the dramatic event would “bring together most parties” from all sides of the political spectrum.
“There was a record-setting group of people, and there was a tremendous amount of love and coming together,” Trump said in the White House Briefing Room surrounded by FBI Director Kash Patel, Defense Secretary Markwayne Mullin and Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.