Secret Service agents rushed President Donald Trump off stage after an armed man stormed the lobby outside the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner on Saturday night, charging toward the ballroom where thousands of guests had gathered.
The suspect, identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California, was armed with guns and knives when he breached security barricades at the Washington Hilton. He was tackled to the ground by agents and taken into custody without injury, though he was hospitalised for evaluation.
One Secret Service officer was struck by gunfire but was protected by a bullet-resistant vest and is recovering. Video footage posted by Trump shows the suspect running past security barriers as agents sprinted toward him.
Inside the subterranean ballroom, guests dove beneath tables as five to eight gunshots rang out. The heavily armed counterassault team swarmed the stage while agents first shielded Trump in place, then escorted him and First Lady Melania Trump offstage. Vice President JD Vance was removed first. Trump briefly stumbled while exiting, assisted by his security detail.
Speaking at the White House two hours later, still dressed in his tuxedo, Trump struck a somber tone about the dangers of the presidency. “When you’re impactful, they go after you. When you’re not impactful, they leave you alone,” he told reporters. “They seem to think he was a lone wolf.”
The president described the role as “a dangerous profession” and said attempted violence “is part of the job.” He expressed hope the dinner would be rescheduled within 30 days, adding: “We’re not going to let anybody take over our society.”
Allen, who was a registered guest at the hotel, faces two firearm-related charges including assaulting an officer with a deadly weapon. FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed investigators were examining a long gun and shell casings recovered from the scene. Police believe he acted alone, though his motive and intended target remain unknown.
The incident marks the third security threat against Trump since 2024, following the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, where a local firefighter was killed and the president injured.
The annual dinner, intended to honour journalism and the First Amendment, was especially scrutinised this year as Trump’s first attendance since returning to the presidency. Staff initially attempted to resume the event, refolding napkins and adjusting the teleprompter, but the Secret Service advised scrapping it for the night.
The shooting has raised immediate questions about security protocols at the event, which draws senior government officials annually. The Hilton typically remains open to regular guests during the dinner, with security focused primarily on the ballroom rather than the hotel at large. The same venue was the site of the 1981 assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan, prompting the addition of the secure presidential suite where Trump was held on Saturday night.
Source: AP News
