I guess the security was effective at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner [scroll down for UPDATES]
President Donald Trump never left the White House Correspondents’ Dinner venue and remained nearby following the security scare that briefly disrupted the event, Fox News can confirm.
Trump was moved to a secure holding area as a precaution and “wants the show to go on,” according to Fox News senior White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich.
Sources familiar with the situation told Fox News an individual attempted to get through security screening with a gun but was stopped by Secret Service before entering the ballroom. The suspect has since been taken offsite.
Apparently shots were fired, but not in the room where the even was being held. Is the would-be assailant alive?
It must have been quite a scene, one we could have done without:
Attendees were eating a spring pea and burrata salad, and waiters began preparing to bring out the next course when a security detail appeared on the ballroom floor and yelled for everyone to get down. Journalists in gowns and tuxedos ducked near tables as wine splattered onto white tablecloths and glasses clinked in the hurry to seek safety.
Armed security burst through the doors of the ballroom and raced toward the dias where Trump sat as attendees ducked or crouched under tables. At one point, someone in the room shouted, “USA!”
Trump said that a “shooter has been apprehended” in a post to Truth Social …
Sounds as though the shooter is alive, but I assume more information will be forthcoming.
The event was held at the Washington Hilton, which may explain how it is that the shooter got that far, if other guests were permitted in other parts of the hotel. Vance was also at the dinner, as was Rubio. This was also Trump’s first time attending the dinner as president.
Someone apparently thought it was a target-rich environment. I’m extremely glad no one was hurt.
UPDATE 12:10 AM
The Daily Mail has a series of articles and photos.
This:
The president confirmed that the suspect has been apprehended and that a Secret Service agent wearing a protective vest was shot, but is in ‘great shape.’
‘Tonight, they had everything covered very quickly. And he was fast. He was running full blast, and they got him before they got any further,’ the president said of the shooting.
The gunman has been identified and is alive:
Cole Tomas Allen, 31, from Torrance, California near LA is the alleged shooter who opened fire at the Washington Hilton on Saturday night.
The educator from the Los Angeles area was quickly apprehended by law enforcement moments after breaching a security checkpoint. He faces firearms and assault charges.
Police revealed the suspect had a number of weapons on him including a shotgun, handgun and multiple knives.
President Trump shared a stunning image shortly after the shooting, showing the suspect shirtless and lying face down on the carpet. Law enforcement confirmed he was not struck by gunfire while being stopped but has since been taken to the hospital for evaluation. [see photo at link, along with many other photos]
The suspect appears to be a young black or Hispanic man.
One of the many people in attendance was Erika Kirk, who was understandably visibly upset by the frightening incident.
I have to say it’s practically a miracle that no one was killed. The suspect was well-armed, and he was fast:
And typical responses to the YouTube video; I didn’t have to search for them, they were right up there:
@CuttinBlade
16 minutes ago
You cannot believe anything that you see or hear coming from the Trump administration@Ag23445
3 minutes ago
Just another false flag because his ratings are down. We still haven’t seen close-up damage of his ear from the supposed gunshot wound. They sure shut those investigations down quick as well.@blkvixon
31 seconds ago
Did this to distract the first fake assassination and bring attention to the Ballroom
UPDATE 12:48 AM
Allen lists his employment as a teacher in a $25 donation to Kamala Harris in 2024. He is registered to vote in California as “no party preference.”
His LinkedIn profile indicates he’s been a part-time teacher at C2 Education in Torrance, California. C2 is a national tutoring and college counseling provider.
Allen posted on LinkedIn he received his bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from Caltech in 2017 and his master’s degree in computer science from California State University-Dominguez Hills in 2025. …
In December 2024, Allen’s employer C2 named him the Teacher of the Month and posted a photo on the group’s social media.
Before that job, Allen listed his employment as a self-employed video game developer. The PC game he developed was listed on the website Steam for download tied to his name.
Before that, Allen says he worked for a year as an engineer at IJK Controls based on South Pasadena. And before that he was a teaching assistant at California Institute of Technology in Los Angeles.
Upsetting. The president is safe and posting on truth social.
“ Sources told Fox News the individual never made it inside the ballroom, was taken into custody and removed from the scene.
President Trump was seen being quickly escorted out of the room by security, and White House officials tell Fox News Digital both he, the first lady and Karoline Leavitt are safe at this time.”
Shooter is alive and has been identified, supposedly. I thought better of linking to it, because this has been wrong before; sometimes it’s the right name and people start posting about a wrong guy with the same name.
Just one shooter? CNN supposedly reported that the shooter was shot and killed by the Secret Service, and Fox Business supposedly reported that there were two suspects.
Apparently tickets were checked outside the hotel (there were multiple events going on), but the metal detectors were only near the entrance to the dinner. That seems a bit lax to me.
Fox News unknowingly Did the Meme.
https://a57.foxnews.com/assets.foxnews.com/liveblog/fn/prod/images/2026/04/960/540/6d441436bf0d4364f520a6a3057cc6ec.jpg?tl=1&ve=1
Who had “Assassinating the President in front of the entire Press Establishment” on their Bingo card?
I wonder if someone at Fox suggested that for the one blank square and was voted down.
It’s down near the beginning of the reverser-order timeline.
Just to save time tomorrow: the 72-hour rule for not believing anything the media says or prints will run until sometime Tuesday night.
16 sec security camera video of shooter rushing through check station, with immediate reaction of guys on station. Looks like the SS agent shot is center camera.
https://x.com/i/status/2048228609488310665
I was looking at the Sunday (London) Times post that miguel linked when the News came up on the sidebar.
The Brits, as usual, already had more pictures than the US pundits that Neo referred to.
https://www.thetimes.com/us/news-today/article/correspondents-dinner-shooting-trump-shots-fired-white-house-f2ww280ck
From AesopFan’s link: “A law enforcement officer was shot but was wearing a “very good bulletproof vest” and is “doing great,” Trump said.
Trump said the incident proved his ballroom addition to the White House was necessary for security.” Always thinking!! About how to better his position! In this case, a very good point!
Good the LEO was wearing a protective vest. I wonder if any of the principals also has vests on under their tux’es. Probably not, as they would have expected security to be solid enough.
But no reports yet about any friendly “roasting”?
Patel was there too, with his girlfriend (a Country Western singer I think). Supposedly he told people at his table to get down, but he stayed standing.
Will any of the reporters there understand that they might be somewhat responsible for this?
@ sdferr > “video of shooter rushing through check station, with immediate reaction of guys on station”
That was an impressive run by the shooter.
I saw one agent go back to see if there is anyone behind him, one stayed by the entry gate (magnetometer to check for guns) as he should, and everyone else followed the shooter.
Good thing he wasn’t the front of a serious incursion, though.
I wonder if there was anyone at the beginning of his run or was that outside direct surveillance?
Those gates are pathetic security devices, obviously useless for a determined assassin, and I suspect that will NOT be the norm going forward.
Next step: bollards and caltrops in the hallways?
In re the pictures at the London Times, the lead is a closeup of Trump looking at Melania, taken from her end of the table; she is clearly reacting to something, but he is not.
You can see that same moment from a distance at the beginning of the C-SPAN video — h/t Brian E. on the Open Thread, who suggests the noise level was so high Trump didn’t hear the shots, in which case Melania was most likely reacting to the SS agents storming inside.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIZh8nHZ4m4
I was very impressed with the agent who almost casually (but certainly quickly) walked to the front of the President’s table and faced the room with his body completely covering the President from view.
The serious guys are really serious about their job.
AesopFan, Trump said at the press conference he thought it was either someone dropping plates or shots. He hoped it was plates being dropped.