Washington (United States) (AFP) – A California man accused of storming a gala dinner attended by President Donald Trump was to appear in court Monday over a shooting that marks the latest spasm of political violence in deeply divided America. Administration officials said the suspect in Saturday night’s shocking attack apparently aimed to kill Trump and senior officials at the press dinner in a Washington hotel, in what would be the third attempt on the president’s life in two years.
Trump, who was rushed out of the ballroom in Washington by Secret Service agents, posted surveillance footage of the gunman attempting to sprint past a checkpoint one floor above the room where the dinner was held. After a brief exchange of gunfire with agents, the suspect was detained at the scene. Trump shared photos of the suspect handcuffed on the carpeted hotel floor, lying shirtless and face down.
In an interview aired Sunday night on the CBS program “60 Minutes,” Trump was asked if he feared there would be casualties as the chaotic scene unfolded before him: Washington’s government and media elite in formal attire ducking for cover at a fancy dinner. “I wasn’t worried. I understand life. We live in a crazy world,” Trump said.
“He’s not actively cooperating. I expect that he will be formally charged tomorrow morning in federal court in Washington,” acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche told CBS’s “Face The Nation” earlier in the day. “We do believe, based upon just a very preliminary start to understanding what happened, that he was targeting members of the administration.” Blanche added that no further motive was known for the attack and confirmed the suspect — who officials said was armed with a shotgun, handgun, and knives — was staying at the Washington Hilton hotel where the black-tie White House Correspondents’ Dinner was held.
Trump, without providing details, said the gunman had written an “anti-Christian” manifesto. “The guy is a sick guy,” Trump told Fox News. “His sister or his brother actually was complaining about it. They were even complaining to law enforcement.” The New York Post said the suspect, widely named as Cole Allen, 31, had written in a message shared with his family shortly before the attack that his targets would be “prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest.”
In the seconds after the shooting a floor above, Secret Service agents swarmed into the ballroom, prompting chaotic scenes as attendees dove under tables. Crowded into the ballroom were Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance, several cabinet members and top lawmakers, and hundreds of guests in black tie. Trump said at a hastily arranged late-night news conference at the White House that he first thought the noise was a tray being dropped, before realizing it was gunfire. He said he hoped the annual gala, hosted by the White House Correspondents Association, would be rescheduled within a month.
“They seem to think he was a lone wolf, and I feel that too,” the president said. One officer was shot at close range in his safety vest and appeared to be not seriously harmed. Trump added that the hotel venue was “not a particularly secure” facility, as questions swirled about the president’s safety protocols.
Trump was the target of an assassination attempt during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania in 2024. A gunman fired several shots, killing an audience member and lightly wounding the president in the ear. A few months later, another man was arrested after a Secret Service agent saw the barrel of a rifle poking from the bushes on the perimeter of the West Palm Beach golf course where Trump was playing a round.
The Washington Hilton, where Saturday’s gala was taking place, is the site where Republican President Ronald Reagan was shot by a would-be assassin in 1981. Trump on Sunday said the shooting underlined the security reasons that he has cited for planning a huge new ballroom next to the White House, a project that has faced legal challenges. The White House Correspondents’ Association invited Trump to its gala this year despite his repeated attacks on the media.
Before this year and unlike all other presidents from the past 100 years, Trump had never attended while in office. The dinner brings together journalists and the who’s who of Washington to raise funds for scholarships and awards. The incident came less than 48 hours before King Charles III and Queen Camilla begin a four-day state visit to Washington.
© 2024 AFP
