Last night in Washington, D.C., a gunman breached the security perimeter at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, where the president, first lady, vice president, cabinet members and more than 2,500 guests were gathered. Shots were fired, and the president was evacuated. The attack occurred at the same hotel where President Ronald Reagan was nearly assassinated 45 years earlier.
Federal investigators are examining the motive of the alleged gunman, identified as a 31-year-old teacher from Torrance, California. Officials say he emailed what a senior official called a “manifesto” to his family minutes before the attack, writing that he was targeting members of the Trump administration. Investigators are also reviewing the suspect’s social media, which reportedly contained anti-Trump and anti-Christian rhetoric; the suspect had been staying at the hotel since Friday and wrote that he had cased the place.
CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell spoke with President Trump at the White House about the incident. Trump said he had read the manifesto and described the suspect as “probably a pretty sick guy,” saying the suspect had been radicalized and that family members had complained about him and reported him to police.
When asked how worried he was as shots rang out in the ballroom, Trump replied, “I wasn’t worried. I understand life. We live in a crazy world.” He said he was seated near entertainer Oz Pearlman when the commotion began and that he recognized the first lady’s alarmed expression. Trump described wanting to see what was happening and acknowledged he made things harder for his security detail by hesitating. He said he began walking with agents but was told to “please go down” and dropped to the floor along with the first lady.
O’Donnell noted the rapid response: agents grabbed the vice president, then flanked and removed the president within seconds, and a counterassault team subdued the gunman. Trump praised the professionalism of law enforcement, calling their response impressive and saying the suspect “ran like — I think the NFL should sign him up.” He added the agents “took him down immediately” and commended their quickness and training.
Trump denied any suggestion that he was the figure referenced in the manifesto or in public criticism, reacting angrily when O’Donnell read passages that labeled an unnamed official a “pedophile, rapist, and traitor.” “I’m not a rapist. I didn’t rape anybody,” he said. “I’m not a pedophile.” He told O’Donnell she was “a disgrace” for reading the material on air.
Regarding security, Trump pointed to the suspect’s own complaint in the manifesto that he expected far greater protections — cameras, armed agents and metal detectors everywhere — and yet claimed “this level of incompetence is insane.” Trump countered that the suspect himself was “pretty incompetent” because he was quickly caught, and again praised the agents who subdued him. He confirmed a Secret Service officer involved was wearing a bulletproof vest and was “a hundred percent” fine after being checked.
The president acknowledged the presence at the dinner of people who have long been touched by political violence, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., his sister Kerry Kennedy, Erika Kirk and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise. Asked what could be done to change the trajectory of political violence, Trump traced such acts through history and said he was not convinced violence is greater now, while also faulting “hate speech of the Democrats” as dangerous.
Trump told O’Donnell he wants the White House Correspondents’ Dinner to proceed, arguing that a “crazy person” should not be able to cancel it. He said he hopes to hold the event again within 30 days with “even more security” and larger perimeter controls. He also suggested moving future events to a new East Wing ballroom, which he said is ahead of schedule but not expected to be ready until 2028.
Two hours after the incident, Trump returned to the White House to brief reporters, saying he saw “a room that was just totally unified” after the attack and praising the solidarity he witnessed. Federal authorities continue to investigate the suspect’s motive and background.