Shooting at White House Correspondents Dinner Targets Event Attendees; Suspect's Motives Under Investigation

Gunfire erupted at the Washington Hilton hotel during the White House Correspondents Dinner on Saturday night, halting the annual press gala before the main speech could occur. The shooting, which France 24 reported as a lone wolf incident suggested by President Trump, involved 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, whom authorities allege intended to assassinate President Trump and senior cabinet members. S.

S. Attorney Pirro emphasized the gravity, saying, 'Make no mistake.

The incident unfolded amid heightened security for the event, which drew journalists, politicians, and celebrities. Multiple sources confirmed the speech did not happen, with The New York Times noting gunfire at the press gala underscored the growing risks of political violence for attendees.

Allen's motives remain under investigation, but the attack adds to a series of threats against Trump over the past decade.

In June 2016, months before Trump's first election, Michael Steven Sandford, then 20, approached Trump at a rally in the Treasure Island casino in Las Vegas and tried to grab a police officer's handgun. Sandford admitted in court that year to wanting to kill Trump.

After serving five months. September 2017 brought another attempt during Trump's visit to an oil refinery in North Dakota. Gregory Lee Leingang, then 42, stole a forklift and planned to use it to flip Trump's limousine.

His attorney cited a serious psychiatric crisis, and Leingang pleaded guilty. In September 2020, amid Trump's reelection campaign, Pascale Ferrier, a 56-year-old with dual Canadian and French citizenship, sent letters containing ricin to the White House. Ferrier pleaded guilty, admitting she produced the ricin at her home in Quebec, and was sentenced to nearly 22 years in prison.

At her sentencing, she stated, 'The only regret I have ... S.

Believing he met hitmen in New York in June 2024, Merchant instead encountered undercover officers and was arrested in July before departing the country. In March 2026, he was convicted of murder for hire and attempting an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries, facing up to life in prison.

July 2024 marked a direct assault at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where Thomas Matthew Crooks, then 20, opened fire, killing one attendee and injuring others, including Trump.

Secret Service agents shielded Trump and fatally shot Crooks. He later said a bullet pierced the upper part of his right ear. The Secret Service director resigned following the event, and acting director Ronald Rowe told Congress it represented a failure of the agency.

In September 2024, at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, agents spotted Ryan Wesley Routh, 59, hiding in bushes and pointing an AK-47-style rifle at Trump. An agent fired at Routh, who fled. Routh denied intent to kill Trump and, after representing himself in trial, was convicted of attempted assassination and sentenced to life in prison.

The shooting occurred the week after a mega merger involving CNN was announced, which had dominated media discussions leading into the dinner. President Trump suggested the attack was a lone wolf incident, echoing patterns in prior threats. S.

And Iran scuttled a second round of peace talks set for Pakistan over the weekend, with Trump announcing on Tuesday an extension of the ceasefire with Iran. -Iran talks. S. cancelled plans to send a team to Pakistan for negotiations.

-Iran stalemate and Hezbollah's rejection of a Lebanon ceasefire. S. and a full military band welcome by President Trump at Joint Base Andrews.

The British royals are scheduled for tea with Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, along with a White House meeting that afternoon. S. S.

Officials at an anti-narcotics operation in Chihuahua should not repeat. S. officials—widely reported as CIA officers—and two Mexican officials after the operation.

Global military spending reached a record high, according to SIPRI researchers. The International Atomic Energy Agency warned that damage to a shell at Chernobyl designed to prevent radiation leaks could shorten its 100-year lifespan.

S. has controlled Venezuela's oil exports for months, cutting off supplies to Cuba and threatening sanctions on nations sending fuel, with only Russia defying the embargo.

U.S. demands President Miguel Díaz-Canel's departure. Cuban officials refuse to discuss the political system or leaders.

Trump said, 'We may stop by Cuba after we're finished with this,' referring to the war in Iran.