Washington (Somalia Today) – President Donald Trump said he was safe after a suspected gunman opened fire near the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, forcing Secret Service agents to rush him, first lady Melania Trump and senior US officials from one of Washington’s most prominent annual events.
Trump was seated on stage at the Washington Hilton on Saturday night, alongside Vice President JD Vance, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and officials from the White House Correspondents’ Association, when several loud bangs rang out as guests ate in the ballroom.
The president said later that he first thought a tray had fallen because the noise sounded “quite far away.” But he said the first lady grasped the danger almost immediately.
“I think she knew immediately what happened,” Trump told reporters at the White House, recalling that Melania Trump told him: “That’s a bad noise.”
Trump said Secret Service agents quickly moved him off the stage. He said officers apprehended a suspect, and that one Secret Service agent survived after a bullet struck his vest at close range.
“He was shot from very close distance with a very powerful gun, and the vest did the job,” Trump said.
The suspect is Cole Allen, 31 years old, of Torrance, Calif., according to two law-enforcement officials briefed on the investigation.
Allen was a guest at the Washington Hilton where the event was taking place—and had a shotgun, handgun and knives on him, police said. Police didn’t share a motive or target for the gunman.
‘I fought like hell’
The shooting disrupted a dinner that had brought senior government officials, journalists, business executives and celebrities into the same ballroom.
Trump said he did not want the event to end and pushed to remain at the dinner despite the security alarm. “I fought like hell to stay,” he said.
In an earlier social media post, Trump praised the Secret Service and law enforcement, saying they “acted quickly and bravely.” He said he had urged organisers to “LET THE SHOW GO ON” but would follow the guidance of law enforcement officials.
The president later said organisers would reschedule the dinner soon.
Trump said he wanted the evening to continue because he did not want “sick people” to “change the fabric of our life.”
But law enforcement officials ordered guests to leave the premises. The ballroom slowly emptied as people walked past spilt wine, scattered napkins and unfinished meals.
Panic in ballroom
Witnesses described panic inside the ballroom as loud bangs echoed through the venue and guests ducked beneath tables.
Erin Thielman, a military veteran who had stepped out of the ballroom to call her son, said she heard three loud bangs that she believed were gunfire. She said she saw a man fall flat in front of her and that he appeared to be carrying a rifle and magazines.
She then went downstairs and saw security officers draw their pistols.
A waitress who had taken cover cried out in Spanish: “I don’t want to die here. I don’t want to die in this room.”
Guests crouched under tables as Secret Service agents and other law enforcement officers rushed through the venue. Trump said the suspect never got close to him and did not breach the doorway into the main ballroom.
The president said he released surveillance footage of the incident for “transparency” and to show how quickly security agents moved.
The footage showed a man sprinting through metal detectors and past law enforcement officers, who turned toward him with guns raised before rushing off-screen.
Security questions
Trump said the suspect carried multiple weapons before the Secret Service stopped him.
He said officials may later determine a motive, but suggested the suspect appeared to have acted alone.
“They seem to think he’s a lone wolf, and I feel that too,” Trump said, adding that the man was from California.
Trump said officials had not briefed him on any specific threats before the dinner.
The incident quickly raised questions about security at an annual gathering that places senior political, government and media figures in one room.
Trump called for tougher protection, saying: “Today, we need levels of security that probably nobody has ever seen before.”
He also said the episode showed why the White House needs stronger security and its own ballroom, referring to a ballroom being built at the presidential residence.
“This was not a particularly secure building,” Trump said of the Washington Hilton.
A dark history
The Washington Hilton, in northwest Washington, about one-and-a-half miles from the White House, occupies a grim place in US presidential history.
President Ronald Reagan was shot outside the hotel in 1981 by John Hinckley Jr. Reagan survived, but the attack wounded three others, including White House press secretary James Brady.
Saturday’s incident also revived memories of two attempts on Trump’s life during the 2024 campaign.
In July 2024, Trump had been speaking for less than 10 minutes at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, when a 20-year-old gunman opened fire from a rooftop about 400 feet away.
A bullet struck Trump in the ear. The gunman killed one rally attendee and wounded two others.
In September 2024, Trump faced another threat when a man pointed a rifle through a fence at his golf club in Florida while he was on the course. Secret Service agents opened fire, and officers later arrested the suspect.
Trump said Saturday’s security response at the Washington Hilton was stronger than the response in Butler.
He said the Secret Service, in his view, did a “better job” at the dinner than during the Pennsylvania rally.
‘Biggest impact’
Asked why assassination attempts keep happening to him, Trump said he had studied political killings.
“I studied assassinations,” he said, suggesting that leaders who make “the biggest impact,” including Abraham Lincoln, often become targets.
“I hate to say I’m honoured by that, but we’ve done a lot,” Trump said.
The White House Correspondents’ Dinner remains one of Washington’s most visible annual events, traditionally drawing presidents, journalists, politicians and celebrities.
Saturday marked Trump’s first appearance at the dinner since 2015. He did not attend during his first term in office.
Top administration officials at the dinner included Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Trump called the episode “totally shocking” but insisted it would not stop him from appearing in public.
“We’ll just, plain, have to do it again,” he said.
