Suspected shooter was likely targeting Trump at WHCA dinner

The suspected shooter at the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) dinner was likely targeting President Trump and other administration officials on Saturday when he opened fire at the Washington Hilton hotel. 

“What was supposed to be a fun night at the @WHCA dinner with President Trump delivering jokes and celebrating free speech was hijacked by a depraved crazy person who sought to assassinate the President and kill as many top Trump administration officials as possible,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote in a Sunday post on the social media platform X.  

“I was with President Trump and the First Lady back stage after we were quickly ushered to safety by Secret Service. President Trump was truly fearless, but as he said last night, this political violence needs to end,” Leavitt added.

After the shots were fired around 8:30 p.m. EDT, Trump was swiftly ushered off the dais at the front of the ballroom to a special presidential suite, which was created to protect the commander in chief after former President Reagan was shot at the same hotel in 1981. 

CBS News reported Sunday, citing both administration and law enforcement officials, that the suspected gunman wrote a manifesto stating he wanted to target White House officials “prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest.” An administration official confirmed to The Hill that the suspect wrote this manifesto.

Saturday’s incident follows three assassination attempts on Trump’s life — one in Butler, Pa., and another two planned attacks in West Palm Peach, Fla. Trump was struck by a bullet in July 2024 at the Pennsylvania event.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on Sunday morning told CNN that the suspect in Saturday’s shooting could “absolutely” be charged with attempting to assassinate the president.

“We’re still looking to try to understand a motive,” Blanche continued. “From our preliminary investigation, it does appear the suspect was targeting members of the administration. I don’t want to go beyond that because we don’t have specifics yet about particular members of the administration, except that we do understand that that was his goal and his target.”

The investigation into the suspect and the incident remains ongoing.

After Trump and other administration officials were evacuated from the Washington hotel Saturday night, the president spoke to reporters from the White House briefing room, where he spoke out against political violence.

“In light of this evening’s events, I ask that all Americans recommit with their hearts and resolving our differences peacefully,” he told reporters, alongside Vice President Vance, FBI Director Kash Patel and other officials. “We have to. We have to resolve our differences.”

Multiple media outlets have identified the suspected shooter as Cole Allen, 31, of Torrence, Calif. He traveled from Los Angeles to Chicago, and then from Chicago to Washington, D.C., according to Blanche.

Allen’s family, per The Associated Press, reportedly received messages from the suspected gunman railing against the administration’s policies and referring to himself as a “Friendly Federal Assassin” just minutes before Saturday’s attack.

The suspect, according to U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro, will be arraigned Monday, when he’ll face two charges: using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon. 

Blanche said Sunday that the suspect is not cooperating with the investigation, but he thanked the Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies for their response.

“The system worked; law enforcement and the Secret Service protected all of us. The man barely got past the perimeter. And so when you have a perimeter designed to keep people safe, like President Trump, and it works — that’s something that should be applauded,” Blanche said during a Sunday appearance on ABC’s “This Week.” 

For many in the president’s orbit, including his staff and many reporters, Saturday’s shooting was a stark reminder of the 2024 attempt on Trump’s life at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.

“Never thought I’d be hitting the ground again after Butler, Pennsylvania, as a result of shots being fired,” White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino wrote in a post on X.

“Brings back a lot of terrible memories—I am so thankful that everyone in attendance tonight is okay. We’re all in this together, stay strong!” he added.

World leaders have also spoken out against the attack.

“I am shocked by the attack on the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Relieved that President Trump, the First Lady and all the guests are safe and sound,” NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said on X. “This was an attack on our free and open societies. We stand for democracy and in solidarity with the United States.”

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was relieved to learn the president and first lady were unharmed.

“I am relieved that the President, the First Lady, and all guests are safe following reports of gunfire at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington tonight. Political violence has no place in any democracy and my thoughts are with all those who have been shaken by this disturbing event,” he said in a post on X.

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