shooting incident
It was a loud bang. Donald Trump thought about a falling tray. His wife Melania immediately disappeared. The annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington was rocked by shots at the entrance to the venue on Saturday. A man exchanged fire with the Secret Service at a security point. Trump was immediately evacuated — and visibly had no qualms about it if that hadn’t happened.
Bob van Huët
Foreign reporter
The alleged shooter has now been identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California. According to CNN, he worked as a teacher and video game developer. According to Washington DC Deputy Police Commissioner Jeffrey Carroll, the man had a shotgun, a handgun and several knives. He was a guest at the hotel.
Images of the incident show how Trump initially barely reacts to the bang. He later stated that he did not immediately take cover because he thought something had fallen. Once safe, he simply wanted to continue the evening, the president later told reporters.
“I fought like hell to stay,” he said. He didn’t want ‘sick people’ to disrupt life. Security thought differently about that.
‘Perpetrator probably a loner’
During the press conference afterwards, Trump praised the Secret Service for their ‘quick and adequate action’. He described the suspect as a ‘sick person’ and probably a ‘lone wolf’. In passing, Trump, in his own unique style, seized the moment to make another point: the hotel was ‘not a particularly safe building’ – hence the need for the planned, extra-secure ballroom and bunker in the White House.
Asked about the repeated threats against him, Trump said he does not want to live in fear. Murderers, he reasoned, simply target ‘the most influential people’. “I hate to say I’m honored by it, but we’ve accomplished a lot.”
Melania very shocked
The contrast with Melania was great. She ducked away much faster and seemed to immediately realize what was going on. Trump called the event “traumatic” for her – she has been the most concerned about safety within the family for the longest time. Afterwards she refused to answer questions from the press. Later she was present in the press room and, according to Trump, she was in ‘perfect condition’.
Trump picked up the thread quickly. The shooting, he said, will not stop him from “winning the war in Iran.” Is the incident related to that? “I don’t know. I don’t actually think so, based on what we know.” The investigation into the motive is still ongoing.
The timing was remarkable: earlier on Saturday, Trump canceled the trip of his envoys to Pakistan for peace talks with Iran. He was not impressed with Tehran’s negotiating position after almost two months of war.
Four times on Trump
June 2016: a British man tried to grab a police officer’s gun to kill Trump during a rally in Las Vegas. He was convicted and later deported.
July 2024: a gunman opened fire during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Thomas Matthew Crooks touched Trump on his right ear. One spectator was killed.
September 2024: An armed man was arrested at Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach before he could shoot. Ryan Wesley Routh has now been sentenced to life in prison.
April 25, 2026: an armed man is arrested after a shootout with security officers at the Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington.
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