White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has said that the person wanted to “assassinate President Trump and other top officials.”
In a post on X, Leavitt said, “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.”
Recalling the incident, she said, “I was with President Trump and the First Lady backstage after we were quickly ushered to safety by Secret Service.”
“Thank you to law enforcement for keeping all of us safe, including the brave agent who took a bullet to the chest and immediately moved to neutralise the shooter. Pray for our country”, she added.
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.
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) April 26, 2026
I was with…
On Saturday night in Washington, shots were fired during White House Correspondents’ Dinner. President Trump, Vice President JD Vance and other top officials were present.
The shots were fired near the stairs leading down to the ballroom where the officials were sitting.
31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen was behind the attack and was arrested immediately. The suspect was armed with a shotgun, a handgun, and knives.
Trump said he and the first lady are fine after what was a “very sad evening in many ways”
The White House Correspondents’ Dinner is an American press tradition that dates back to 1921, and is historically attended by the sitting president.
This was the first time Trump had attended the event as a sitting president.
