The gunman who attempted to breach the ballroom at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington DC on Saturday night is believed to have been targeting Donald Trump and senior members of his administration, acting US attorney general Todd Blanche said on Sunday, although his exact motive remains unclear.
Charges and Investigation
The suspect, who is in custody after being subdued by law enforcement as he rushed through the hotel venue, could be charged with attempting to assassinate the US president, Blanche said. In a live interview with CNN on Sunday morning, when asked if the suspect could face such charges, Blanche replied “absolutely”.
Blanche also said officials believe the suspect traveled by train from California to Chicago and then to Washington, where he checked in as a guest at the hotel just days before the event.
Trump, Melania Trump and JD Vance were seated at the high table at the head of the large ballroom at the Washington Hilton on Saturday night as the glittering event got under way, packed with thousands of journalists and guests in evening wear.
What Happened
Trump was rushed off the stage at the sound of gunshots. The US president could be seen dropping to the floor as Secret Service agents protected him, then helped him to his feet and hurried him out. Melania Trump had been talking to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt when muffled gunshots were heard outside the ballroom. The two women exclaimed to each other, and Trump turned his head to see what was happening. Vance was also rushed from the room in the opposite direction moments later.
Law enforcement agencies identified Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, a Los Angeles suburb, as the suspected gunman arrested at the event. Allen, 31, has no record of criminal charges or civil court history in Los Angeles county, according to a records search. His motive is still unknown, but a family member who spoke to investigators said Allen made statements about wanting to fix problems in the world, according to CBS.
Trump's Reaction
Trump said on Sunday that the suspect had “a lot of hatred in his heart” but was stopped well short of the hotel ballroom. The president told Fox News the suspect was “a sick guy” and that his family had previously expressed concerns about him to law enforcement.
The suspect sent something resembling an online manifesto to family members minutes before the shooting, referring to himself as a “Friendly Federal Assassin”. The writings included him railing against Trump administration policies and signaling what investigators increasingly believe was a politically driven attack, according to a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation. He made repeated references to the president without naming Trump directly and alluded to grievances over a range of administration actions, including US strikes on alleged drug smuggling boats in the eastern Pacific.
Official Statements
Blanche said the suspect was “not actively cooperating” with authorities. He added: “We do believe based on a preliminary understanding of what happened that he was targeting members of the administration.” But he cautioned that investigators don’t have “specifics beyond that general statement”.
Blanche told NBC earlier that the alleged gunman will face charges including assault of a federal officer, discharging a firearm and attempting to kill a federal officer. Allen is expected to appear in federal court in Washington on Monday.
Blanche was asked on CBS’s Face the Nation if Amtrak needs security screening. “This isn’t about changing the law or making the laws more restrictive around possession of firearms,” he said, adding that investigators “don’t know how those firearms ended up in his possession in DC”. “This is about law enforcement who are doing their jobs and a suspect who tried to do something and failed miserably,” Blanche added.
Security and Context
Trump said on his Truth Social platform that the incident showed why a “large, safe, and secure” ballroom needed to be built at the White House, a subject of considerable controversy amid court challenges. He raised the topic at a press conference at the White House not long after being evacuated from the dinner event.
The Hilton hotel is the same hotel where Ronald Reagan was badly wounded by a gunman in 1981. Surveillance footage from Saturday night shows a man rushing across the space outside the ballroom. A federal agent was shot but was wearing a bulletproof vest, and was taken to the hospital but discharged on Sunday.
Trump was due to address the annual black-tie dinner honoring the White House press corps for the first time as president. He had been at the venue for at least half an hour before the incident erupted, chatting amicably from his seat on the dais. But the meal was barely beginning when the event was suddenly interrupted by confusion and chaos.
As shots rang out, journalists and guests ducked under tables and law enforcement officers with rifles pointed at the audience attempted to block lines of sight to the president. Blanche said he did not know if there was any connection to the US-Israel war in Iran.
CNN’s veteran reporter Wolf Blitzer reported seeing the gunman at the event. “I did see the gunman on the ground after he started shooting,” he said. “Police officers threw him to the ground.” Democratic congressman Jamie Raskin, attending the dinner, said he never saw a shooter, but “I think a Secret Service agent threw me to the ground and on top of some other people and people were screaming and yelling”.
Guardian reporters in the room said there were initially mixed messages about whether press and guests should stay. The entire room emptied as people were told the event would not resume and the presidential seal was removed from the podium.
This year’s dinner was already tense due to the presence of Trump and top cabinet members, including Pete Hegseth and Marco Rubio. Trump agreed to attend after refusing last year’s event and those during his first term.
Trump held a press conference at the White House, still in his tuxedo, shortly after leaving the Hilton. He said being president of the United States was a “dangerous profession”. He also said he had planned to make an “inappropriate” speech, which would have presumably criticized the media. He insisted the event would be rescheduled soon as a signal of defiance, and his planned speech would be different the second time.
This was the third time someone has been caught apparently trying to shoot Trump. In the first attempt during the 2024 election campaign in Pennsylvania, a bullet grazed Trump’s ear and shots killed spectators.
Security is being reviewed for the scheduled visit to Washington this week of Britain’s King Charles and Queen Camilla, but the visit was announced as going ahead.
