Gunfire broke out during a White House Correspondents' Association reception attended by the U.S. president. Top state officials were evacuated, the suspected shooter was detained, and his motives have not yet been established. The BBC reports this.
Photo: EPA
Also present at the event were U.S. First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and other senior government officials. All of them were evacuated quickly. Only one security guard was injured.
Identity of the attacker. The shooter was identified as Cole Allen, a 31-year-old teacher and graduate of the California Institute of Technology. The Secret Service stopped him before the screening checkpoint, where the exchange of gunfire occurred. The man was armed with a shotgun, a pistol, and several knives. Authorities believe he acted alone.
The suspect in the Washington shooting said he wanted to shoot "members of the Trump administration," CBS News claims, citing sources.
Reaction. Both Republicans and Democrats condemned the attack on Trump. The politician himself said that being president is a "dangerous profession." "I fought very hard to stay [at the event]."
Context. This was at least the fifth armed attack on Trump. The most high-profile assassination attempt against the politician took place on July 13, 2024, in Pennsylvania during a campaign rally. Trump was wounded in the ear, and one spectator was killed. In addition to direct assassination attempts, gunmen also tried to attack his residences — the latest such incident occurred in February.