Correspondents’ dinner had lower security than | Political News
Guests took cowl under tables when a gunman tried to storm the ballroom at the WCHD (Image: Getty Images)
A gunman tried to storm into the ballroom of the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on Saturday evening, where top Trump officers had been seated for the high-profile event.
Questions regarding the security ranges at the Washington Hilton Hotel — where a crowd of some 2,500 journalists, politicians, and celebrities gathered for the gala — have emerged in the wake of the taking pictures incident.
The suspect, recognized as 31-year-old Cole Thomas Allen from Torrance, California, breached a security checkpoint in the foyer exterior the ballroom by sprinting past Secret Service brokers.
According to the Washington Post, officers acquainted with the security plan said that the Trump administration offered a lower degree of security for the event than it has for other gatherings with high-ranking officers on the visitor record.
Security personnel drew their weapons when pictures had been fired at the high-profile event (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
President Donald Trump, first woman Melania, and Vice President JD Vance had been rapidly rushed to security off the stage by Secret Service brokers when the gunshots had been heard in the ballroom. Trump has traditionally declined invites to the event, and this marked the first time he attended as president.
Other top Trump officers had been in attendance, including Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Despite the presence of top officers, the White House Correspondents’ Dinner was not given the very best security degree.
What was the security like at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner?
Typically, when so many top officers collect in one place, such as for an inauguration, the secretary of homeland security will formally designate the event “National Special Security Event,” which puts the Secret Service in charge of all security.
However, according to the Washington Post, local and federal officials said the event wasn’t given that designation, despite the presence of high-profile officials, journalists, and other guests.
Sources told CBS News that the suspect in the shooting incident had written a “manifesto,” in which he wrote that he planned to target administration officials, “prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest,” as well as authorities, “only if necessary.” The suspect didn’t mention Trump by name in the note.
One D.C. government official told the outlet that they weren’t aware of any time when the annual event was designated a National Special Security Event.
In a statement regarding the shooting, Secret Service Director Sean M. Curran said, “Tonight we saw exactly what our brave men and women do each and every day to protect our protectees. It’s not easy, and I will tell you that they performed admirably. We got to see what they do. And that individual, when he charged a checkpoint, was apprehended.”
Continuing, he said, “It shows that our multi-layered protection works. And I’m grateful to our partners that help assist us with building these sites and protecting these sites.”
Trump’s comments on security at the high-profile event
Following the shooting at the gala, Trump claimed there was a new urgency for his controversial ballroom project at the White House at the press briefing and on social media.
“What happened last night is exactly the reason that our great Military, Secret Service, Law Enforcement and, for different reasons, every President for the last 150 years, have been DEMANDING that a large, safe, and secure Ballroom be built ON THE GROUNDS OF THE WHITE HOUSE,” Trump posted on Truth Social on Sunday morning.
“I didn’t want to say this,” he said at the press briefing at the White House late on Saturday evening, “but this is why we have to have all of the attributes of what we’re planning at the White House. It’s actually a larger room, and it’s a much more secure. It’s got – it’s drone-proof, it’s bulletproof glass.”
The taking pictures incident on Saturday marks the third assassination attempt Trump has survived since 2024.
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