A gunman breached the security perimeter at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, D.C., last night, firing shots in a ballroom where the president, first lady, vice president, cabinet members and more than 2,500 guests were gathered. The president was evacuated. The attack took place at the same hotel where President Ronald Reagan was nearly assassinated 45 years earlier.
Federal investigators have identified the suspect as a 31-year-old teacher from Torrance, California. Officials say he emailed a document described by a senior official as a “manifesto” to his family minutes before the shooting, indicating he was targeting members of the Trump administration. Investigators are also examining his social media, which reportedly included anti-Trump and anti-Christian posts. The suspect had been staying at the hotel since Friday and wrote that he had cased the venue.
CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell interviewed President Trump at the White House following the incident. Trump said he had read the manifesto and characterized the suspect as radicalized and “pretty sick,” noting family members had previously complained about him to police.
Asked how worried he was as shots rang out, Trump said he was not frightened and framed the episode as part of living in a dangerous world. He said he was seated near entertainer Oz Pearlman when he noticed the first lady’s alarmed look. Trump acknowledged that his initial hesitation to move made things harder for his security detail. He began to walk with agents but was instructed to go down, and he and the first lady dropped to the floor.
O’Donnell described a rapid security response: agents secured the vice president, then flanked and removed the president within seconds while a counterassault team subdued the gunman. Trump praised law enforcement’s quick action and training, saying the suspect was taken down immediately and joking about how fast the assailant ran.
When O’Donnell read passages from the manifesto that described an unnamed official with abusive allegations, Trump forcefully denied any such accusations and objected to the material being read on air.
On security, Trump pointed out that the suspect had complained in his manifesto about expecting more visible protections such as cameras and metal detectors; the president countered that the attacker proved “incompetent” by being quickly apprehended. He said a Secret Service officer involved was wearing a bulletproof vest and was unharmed after medical checks.
Trump noted that some attendees had previously been affected by political violence, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Kerry Kennedy, Erika Kirk and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise. Asked about the rise of political violence generally, he traced incidents through history and said he was not convinced they are more common now, while warning that heated rhetoric from political opponents can be dangerous.
The president said he wants the White House Correspondents’ Dinner to go forward, arguing a lone attacker should not be able to cancel the event. He suggested holding it again within 30 days with heightened security, larger perimeter controls and possibly moving future dinners to a new East Wing ballroom that he said is ahead of schedule but not expected to be ready until 2028.
About two hours after the attack, Trump returned to the White House to brief reporters, saying he saw unity among those present and praising the solidarity he observed. Federal authorities continue to investigate the suspect’s motive, background and social media activity.