United States President Donald Trump and officials in his administration were the likely targets of a suspect who fired at a security agent guarding the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington, US Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Sunday.
The incident occurred at the Washington Hilton — the same hotel where Ronald Reagan was shot and wounded in a 1981 assassination attempt — adding to the gravity of the situation at a venue long associated with high-level political gatherings. Over the years, the hotel has also hosted Pakistani leaders, including Pervez Musharraf, Benazir Bhutto, and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
As the sound of shots rang out in the ballroom hosting the dinner, gala attendees, including members of the press, their family members, and government officials immediately fell silent, CNN reported. It was only when security charged into the room, and people started screaming, “Get down, get down!”, that guests dove under tables to take cover.
The suspect — who was armed with a shotgun, handgun and knives, according to CNN — had charged a checkpoint at the hotel, opening fire at a Secret Service agent, before being tackled and arrested. Secret Service Spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said the shooting took place near the main screening area at the entrance of the event.
The agent who was shot was hit in an area covered by protective gear and not harmed, a Federal Bureau of Investigation official told Reuters.
Secret Service officers in combat gear rushed into the dining room, providing cover to Trump and the first lady, who had bent down behind the dais before being hustled out by Secret Service officers. CNN footage showed US Vice President JD Vance being pulled out of his chair by security officials and escorted off the dais in the opposite direction.
Some security personnel took up positions on the stage, pointing their rifles into the ballroom. Security agents also pushed cabinet officials to the ground, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. Cabinet members were then evacuated from the venue one by one.
Many of the 2,600 attendees took cover while waiters fled to the front of the dining hall.
Trump stayed backstage for about one hour, a source told Reuters. “We are staying,” he was overheard saying, the source said. The president and first lady were eventually escorted back to the White House as per protocol, were he addressed a press conference, CNN reported.
About an hour after Trump was rushed from the event, he posted on Truth Social that a “shooter had been apprehended”.
“Quite an evening in DC, Secret Service and Law Enforcement did a fantastic job,” Trump added.
Shortly afterwards, he posted, “The First Lady, plus the Vice President, and all Cabinet members, are in perfect condition”.
‘US administration officials targeted’
The US acting attorney general, Blanche, said of the shooter: “It does appear that he, he did, in fact, set out to target folks that work in the administration, likely including the president.”
In an interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press”, Blanche added that the suspect likely traveled by train from Los Angeles to Chicago and then to Washington.
The suspect will be charged in federal court on Monday with assault of a federal officer, discharging a firearm and attempting to kill a federal officer, Blanche said, adding he did not know if there was an Iran connection to the attack.
Suspect identified
Multiple US news outlets identified the suspect as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen from Torrance, in the southwest of Los Angeles County.
Asked about Allen late on Saturday, the FBI did not confirm his identity and told AFP it had nothing to add beyond what was disclosed in news conferences.
A LinkedIn profile with the name “Cole Allen” showed a picture of a man which appeared to match a photo of the suspect shared by Trump.
The social media profile said Allen was a mechanical engineer, computer scientist, game developer and teacher.
The event was eventually cancelled for the evening. Trump posted on social media that he hoped it could be rescheduled in 30 days.
‘Lone wolf’
Speaking at a press conference at the White House after the incident, the US president said the suspect was a “would-be assassin”, adding that the man was “armed with multiple weapons”.
The man charged past a security checkpoint, Trump told the press briefing, adding: “One officer was shot but saved by the fact that he was wearing a, obviously, a very good bulletproof vest.”
“We looked at all of the conditions that took place tonight, and I will say, you know, it’s not a particularly secure building,” the US leader added.
He said that he believed the suspected shooter was a “lone wolf”.
“In my opinion, he was a lone wolf,” Trump said, describing the man as a “whack job” and saying he felt there was no reason to believe the attack was connected to the war in Iran.
He added that the Washington hotel hosting Saturday’s White House correspondents’ dinner was “not a particularly secure” facility.
“We looked at all of the conditions that took place tonight, and I will say, you know, it’s not a particularly secure building,” Trump said of the Washington Hilton hotel that has hosted major political events since it opened in 1965.
Trump said “I guess” when asked whether he was the intended target of the attack. “He was a guy who looked pretty evil when he was down.”
Trump further said federal agents were raiding the California home of the suspected shooter.
‘Heinous act of terrorism’
President Asif Ali Zardari, in a statement issued by the Presidency, condemned the shooting.
He “expressed relief that President Trump & the First Lady are safe, and termed the incident a heinous act of terrorism”.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in a post on X, condemned the incident, stating that he was “deeply shocked” by it.
“Deeply shocked by the disturbing shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in Washington, DC, a short while ago,” the premier said.
He expressed relief that the US president, the first lady and other attendees were safe.
“My thoughts and prayers are with him, and I wish him continued safety and well-being,” he added.
Deputy PM Ishaq Dar also said he was “deeply shocked by the cowardly shooting incident”.
“We are relieved that President Trump, Vice President Vance and First Lady are safe. We strongly condemn all forms of violence, which is enemy of diplomacy and intolerable in any civilised society,” he wrote on X.
“Our best wishes go out to POTUS and the American people.”
Past attempts on life
Saturday was the first time Trump had attended the correspondents’ dinner as president.
He was the subject of two assassination attempts in 2024, after he left the White House in 2021 and while he was campaigning for reelection.
The most serious occurred while Trump was campaigning at an outdoor rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July 2024. Trump was shot and wounded in his upper ear by a 20-year-old gunman. The gunman was shot dead by security personnel.
Just over two months after the Butler shooting, Secret Service agents spotted a man wielding a gun and hiding in bushes at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, while Trump was on the course. It was deemed an assassination attempt, and the suspect was sentenced to life in prison in February.
The site of Saturday’s dinner, the Washington Hilton, was the scene of an attempt on the life of President Ronald Reagan, who was shot and wounded by a would-be assassin outside the hotel in 1981.
