US President Donald Trump and his officials were the “likely” targets of a suspected gunman who attempted to storm the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche has said.
The suspect, named by US media as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, was arrested after police said he opened fire near a security checkpoint during the event at a Washington DC hotel on Saturday.
Blanche, speaking to NBC News, said the alleged gunman’s motive is still under investigation, but that “preliminary” findings suggest he was targeting administration officials.
The FBI’s criminal division and terrorism task-force are investigating the incident.
After being rushed off the stage to safety, Trump later told reporters at a briefing on Saturday: “I can’t imagine that there’s any profession that’s more dangerous”.
In a statement on Sunday, the White House said Trump “stands fearless” after surviving, alongside cabinet members, “an assassination attempt when shots were fired”.
The White House Correspondents’ Association president, Weijia Jiang, called the attack “harrowing”.
On Sunday, Jiang, who was sat next to Trump at the dinner, thanked the Secret Service for actions which “protected thousands of guests”.
She added the board will meet and determine how to proceed, and will release updates when available.
On Sunday, Trump told Fox News that the suspect “had a lot of hatred in his heart for a while”, and said his family knew he had “difficulties”. He added that the suspect had a “manifesto”, and suggested he was “strongly anti-Christian”.
US media are reporting a history of anti-Trump social media posts from 31-year-old Allen, citing law enforcement sources.
At about 20:35 local time (00:35 GMT) on Saturday gunshots rang out in the foyer of the Washington Hilton hotel, where the White House Correspondents’ dinner was taking place in the ballroom on a floor below.
The president, First Lady Melania Trump, and Vice-President JD Vance were also rushed out of the room by security.
Video of Secret Service agents rushing Vice-President JD Vance from the event several moments before Trump was evacuated circulated across social media, with some viewers questioning the timing.
In an interview with the news programme 60 Minutes on Sunday, Trump said he “wasn’t making it easy” for agents to evacuate him from the room.
“I wanted to see what was happening… I wanted to see what was going on. And by that time we started to realise, maybe it was a bad problem.”
At one point, Trump said security asked him to take cover and “please go down on the floor”. He praised his detail as “great people”.
Officials said law enforcement exchanged fire with the alleged attacker and intercepted him, and “believe” the suspect fired his weapon. He was not struck, but was taken to hospital for evaluation.
Police said he was carrying two guns, as well as knives.
The BBC’s partner CBS News has seen a written document believed to be linked to the suspect, Cole Allen. Other US media have reported on the same document.
It says the gunman wanted to target members of the Trump administration “from highest-ranking to lowest” and that while guests and hotel staff were not the intended targets, they would be attacked if necessary to get to the officials.
His brother reportedly contacted police in Connecticut after receiving it. The police department in New London, Connecticut said it was contacted only hours after the shooting and immediately notified federal law enforcement.
BBC News has not independently verified the alleged writings, which have been described as a manifesto and were reportedly sent to the suspect’s family members before the attempted attack.
During the 60 Minutes interview on Sunday, Trump grew frustrated with journalist Norah O’Donnell after she asked about the reported contents of the alleged writings, which include a reference to a “pedophile, rapist, and traitor” without mentioning any individual by name. He called O’Donnell a “disgrace” for asking him about the excerpts, adding that “you should be ashamed of yourself reading that, because I’m not any of those things”.
An officer who was shot and injured during the incident has been discharged from hospital. His bullet proof vest “helped us avoid a potential tragedy,” the Secret Service’s chief of communications, Anthony Guglielmi, told the BBC.
Several BBC reporters were in attendance at the dinner, and described scenes of widespread confusion following the sound of gunshots.
Gary O’Donoghue, the BBC’s Chief North America correspondent, said he heard “booming sounds”.
“Within moments, I thought – that is the low thudding sound that semi-automatic weapons make,” he said.
The room was briefly locked down, before an announcement was made that the event would be rescheduled and attendees were ushered out.
Blanche told the BBC’s US partner CBS News that investigators believe the suspect travelled to the capital by train – from Los Angeles to Chicago, before heading to DC.
Allen describes himself as a mechanical engineer, game developer and teacher on LinkedIn. He is from Torrance, California, where an address believed to be linked to him is being searched.
He will be formally charged in federal court on Monday with assault of a federal officer and using a firearm during a crime of violence, officials said.
The president delivered a briefing from the White House after the attack. Speaking while wearing black tie attire to a room full of journalists also in formal wear, he praised the Secret Service, and said that everyone in the room owed them a “tremendous debt of gratitude”.
Though he has levelled criticism at the media during his two terms as president, Trump also took a moment to thank the press for their “responsible coverage” of the attack.
He also called for people to “resolve our differences peacefully”.
He has used the incident to further his argument for building a new ballroom at the White House, writing on Truth Social that it would not have happened “with the Militarily Top Secret Ballroom currently under construction”.
The controversial project has faced a number of legal challenges.
It is the third time Trump has faced an assassination threat. A bullet grazed his ear in July 2024 at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and in September 2024, a suspected gunman was spotted hiding in the bushes of his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Trump was attending the White House Correspondents’ Dinner for the first time as president. He last attended in 2011 as a private citizen.
Following the incident, Barack Obama, who delivered an address as US president at the 2011 event that Trump attended, said “it’s incumbent upon all us to reject the idea that violence has any place in our democracy.
“It’s also a sobering reminder of the courage and sacrifice that U.S. Secret Service Agents show every day. I’m grateful to them – and thankful that the agent who was shot is going to be okay.”
World leaders have also condemned the incident.
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he was “shocked” by the attack, adding: “Any attack on democratic institutions or on the freedom of the press must be condemned in the strongest possible terms.”
Mark Carney, Canada’s prime minister, said he is “relieved” that Trump and the first lady, along with those in attendance, were safe.
His Australian counterpart, Anthony Albanese, also said he is “pleased to hear” that those at the scene were safe.
By BBC News
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