The US President said it was a ‘very beautiful thing’ to see the shooter ‘charge a security checkpoint armed with multiple weapons’ as he praised the ‘unified response’
Trump has said seeing the White House Correspondence Dinner shooter “charge a security checkpoint armed with multiple weapons” was “in one way, very beautiful, a very beautiful thing”.
The US President held a press conference following the horror shooting at the Washington Hilton hotel, where the dinner was held, to give more details on the violent event that unfolded on Saturday night.
Trump described the man as “a lone wolf whack job” in a post on Truth Social, where he also posted a picture of the alleged assailant. The suspect is believed to have been a guest in the Washington Hilton hotel. He stormed the dinner with guns and knives, managing to shoot one secret service agent who was saved by his bullet proof vest.
The suspect, identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, from Torrance, California, faces charges including assaulting an officer with a dangerous weapon. He has been taken into custody and attorney general Todd Blanche said additional charges will be filed.
Trump seemed to want to shock the public even further when he described seeing the event unfold as a “beautiful thing”. He told reporters: “I saw a room that was just totally unified. It was, in one way, very beautiful, a very beautiful thing.
“To see a man charge a security checkpoint armed with multiple weapons, and he was taken down by some very brave members of secret service, and they acted very quickly.”
A motive has not been identified yet and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said charges related to Saturday night’s attack will be filed shortly.
The president praised the secret service and said the gunman was not close to breaching the ballroom where he sat on stage at the time of the incident. Washington mayor Muriel Bowser said she had “no reason” to believe anyone else was involved.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer sent a message of solidarity to the US president on Sunday morning. He wrote on X: “I am shocked by the scenes at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington overnight. Any attack on democratic institutions or on the freedom of the press must be condemned in the strongest possible terms. It is a huge relief that @POTUS, the First Lady and all those attending are safe.”
Trump has vowed to reschedule the disrupted event at a late-night press conference following the shooting. He was attending the annual dinner for the first time as president.
It was the third time since 2024 that the president had been under threat by an attacker in his immediate vicinity. This includes the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, which injured the president and tragically killed a firefighter.
A video shared by Donald Trump on Truth Social showed the suspect bypassing security barriers as secret service agents pursued him. One officer was shot in a bullet-resistant vest but is recuperating, officials confirmed. The gunman was tackled to the ground and was unharmed, but is undergoing evaluation at a hospital, according to police. He is due in court on Monday.
Trump was unscathed and was quickly escorted off the stage. Secret service agents, including the heavily-armed counter assault team, flooded the stage following the incident.
Vice President JD Vance was evacuated from the room first, while agents initially shielded Trump in position, before accompanying him and first lady Melania Trump from the venue.
Trump momentarily lost his footing on his way offstage before being aided by his security team.
He was detained for a considerable period in the secure presidential suite at the hotel as the president and organisers initially attempted to restart the event – hotel personnel refolded serviettes and topped up water glasses, and assistants readjusted the autocue for the president – before Trump was transported back to the White House on the recommendation of the secret service.
“When you’re impactful, they go after you. When you’re not impactful, they leave you alone,” Trump, still wearing his dinner jacket, said at the White House two hours later.
“They seem to think he was a lone wolf.”
