The man suspected in a shooting outside Saturday night's White House Correspondents' Dinner—described by President Trump as a "sick person"—was identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, two law enforcement officials told the AP. "When you're impactful, they go after you. When you're not impactful, they leave you alone," Trump, safe and uninjured and still in his tuxedo, said at the White House two hours later. "They seem to think he was a lone wolf." There was no immediate indication of any other involvement, and Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said she had "no reason" to believe anyone else was involved. Video posted by Trump showed the suspect running past security barricades as Secret Service agents ran toward him.
"There does not appear to be any sort of danger to the public at this time," Bowser said at a separate news conference. All officials protected by the Secret Service were evacuated. Those in attendance included Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio—and many other leaders of the Trump administration on a night when the nation is at war with Iran. "Today we need levels of security that probably nobody has ever seen before," the president said. But he also said, "We're not going to let anybody take over our society." After an initial attempt to resume, the event was scrapped for the night and will be rescheduled. A law enforcement officer was shot in the bullet-resistant vest but is expected to be OK, several sources say. The suspect was allegedly armed with guns and knives when he stormed the lobby outside the ballroom where the event was taking place, as Trump was seated onstage.
The president commended the Secret Service and suggested that the shooter wasn't close to breaching the ballroom, the AP reports. Trump, describing what was going through his mind as the shots rang out, said he initially believed it was a tray being dropped, noting that the noise was "quite far away." But the first lady, he said, was "very cognizant" that it was a shooting. "I think she knew immediately what happened," the president said, recalling that his wife told him, "That's a bad noise." He said he wanted the dinner to continue, but law enforcement preferred it to be rescheduled. He also struck a somber tone, telling reporters that being president is "a dangerous profession" and that attempted violence against him is "part of the job."
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said charges related to Saturday night's attack will be filed shortly, and that the nature of the charges would be obvious considering what had happened at the dinner. Blanche stressed that "the investigation is obviously ongoing and just started." FBI Director Kash Patel, flanking Trump, said the agency is examining a long gun and shell casings recovered from the scene, as well as interviewing witnesses from the dinner. He urged anyone with information to come forward.
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