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, the acting US attorney general, Todd Blanche, said on Sunday.
The suspect, who is in custody after being subdued by law enforcement as he rushed through the hotel venue, could be charged with trying 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 responded "absolutely."
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 event was getting underway. The ballroom was packed with thousands of journalists and their guests in evening wear. 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 glitzy annual event.
Trump Evacuated Amid Gunfire
Trump was rushed off the stage at the sound of gunshots. The US president dropped 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 rang out just outside the ballroom. The two women exclaimed to each other, and Trump turned his head to see what was happening. Vance was rushed from the room in the opposite direction moments later.
Law enforcement agencies identified Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California, 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.
Investigation and Charges
"We do believe based on a preliminary understanding of what happened that he was targeting members of the administration," Blanche said, but cautioned that investigators don't have specifics beyond that general statement. Blanche said the suspect was "not actively cooperating" with authorities. He 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." He added, "This is about law enforcement who are doing their jobs and a suspect who tried to do something and failed miserably."
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.
Details of the Attack
Surveillance footage from the Hilton shows a man rushing across the space outside the ballroom. A federal agent was shot but was wearing a bulletproof vest; he was taken to 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, 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.
Witness Accounts
CNN's veteran reporter Wolf Blitzer reported seeing someone with a gun at the event. "I did see the gunman on the ground after he started shooting," he said. "Police officers threw him to the ground." Jamie Raskin, a Democratic congressman from Maryland who attended 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." He added, "People were terrified; people seem to be relieved now."
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. Outside the hotel, helicopters circled overhead.
Tense Atmosphere
This year's dinner was already tense given the presence of Trump and top members of his cabinet, including Pete Hegseth, secretary of defense, and Marco Rubio, secretary of state. Trump agreed to attend this year's dinner after refusing to go last year and during his first term. Trump held a press conference at the White House, still in his tuxedo, shortly after leaving the Hilton. He said that being president of the United States was a "dangerous profession."
