Camille Naredo

US President Donald Trump points during a press briefing in the Brady Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, DC, shortly after a shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on April 25, 2026. Mandel Ngan, AFP

US President Donald Trump points during a press briefing in the Brady Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, DC, shortly after a shooting incident at the White House Correspondents Dinner on April 25, 2026. US President Donald Trump said April 25 he would give a press conference from the White House press briefing room, shortly after a shooting incident at a gala dinner in Washington. The press conference is set to take place shortly after 10 p.m. (0200 GMT), Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, adding: "The First Lady, plus the Vice President, and all Cabinet members, are in perfect condition." (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP)

Article (news)

White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1777284969166AFP__20260426__A8Z33LR__v1__MidRes__WhiteHouseCorrespondentsAssociationDinner.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="US President Donald Trump points during a press briefing in the Brady Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, DC, shortly after a shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on April 25, 2026. Mandel Ngan, AFP" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">US President Donald Trump points during a press briefing in the Brady Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, DC, shortly after a shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on April 25, 2026. <em>Mandel Ngan, AFP</em></span></span></span></div><p>WASHINGTON -- A California man accused of storming a gala dinner attended by President Donald Trump was to appear in court Monday over a shooting that marks the latest spasm of political violence in deeply divided America.</p><p>Administration officials said the suspect in Saturday night&#x27;s shocking attack apparently aimed to kill Trump and senior officials at the press dinner in a Washington hotel, in what would be the third attempt on the president&#x27;s life in two years.</p><p>Trump, who was rushed out of the ballroom in Washington by Secret Service agents, posted surveillance footage of the gunman attempting to sprint past a checkpoint one floor above the room where the dinner was held.</p><p>After a brief exchange of gunfire with agents, the suspect was detained at the scene.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2026/4/26/shots-fired-trump-evacuated-from-press-dinner-in-washington-0920">READ: Trump evacuated as shooter opens fire at Washington gala</a></div><p>Trump shared photos of the suspect handcuffed on the carpeted hotel floor, lying shirtless and face down.</p><p>In an interview aired Sunday night on the CBS program &quot;60 Minutes&quot; Trump was asked if he feared there would be casualties as the chaotic scene unfolded before him: Washington&#x27;s government and media elite in formal attire ducking for cover at a fancy dinner.</p><p>&quot;I wasn&#x27;t worried. I understand life. We live in a crazy world,&quot; Trump said.</p><p>&quot;He&#x27;s not actively cooperating. I expect that he will be formally charged tomorrow morning in federal court in Washington,&quot; acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche told CBS&#x27;s &quot;Face The Nation&quot; earlier in the day.</p><p>&quot;We do believe, based upon just a very preliminary start to understanding what happened, that he was targeting members of the administration.&quot;</p><p>Blanche added that no further motive was known for the attack, and confirmed the suspect -- who officials said was armed with a shotgun, handgun and knives -- was staying at the Washington Hilton hotel where the black-tie White House Correspondents&#x27; Dinner was held.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>- Guests hid under tables -</strong></div><script data-wid="auto" type="text/javascript" src="https://content.viralize.tv/display/?zid=AAFz8gWM8iRADsJr&amp;cid=AB3suMHTHAGzzxbN"></script><p>Trump, without providing details, said the gunman had written an &quot;anti-Christian&quot; manifesto.</p><p>&quot;The guy is a sick guy,&quot; Trump told Fox News. &quot;His sister or his brother actually was complaining about it. They were even complaining to law enforcement.&quot;</p><p>The New York Post said the suspect, widely named as Cole Allen, 31, had written in a message shared with his family shortly before the attack that his targets would be &quot;prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest.&quot;</p><p>In the seconds after the shooting a floor above, Secret Service agents swarmed into the ballroom, prompting chaotic scenes as attendees dove under tables.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2026/4/27/suspect-in-us-press-gala-shooting-what-we-know-0747">Suspect in US press gala shooting: What we know</a></div><p>Crowded into the ballroom were Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance, several cabinet members and top lawmakers, and hundreds of guests in black tie.</p><p>Trump said at a hastily arranged late-night news conference at the White House that he first thought the noise was a tray being dropped, before realizing it was gunfire.</p><p>He said he hoped the annual gala, hosted by the White House Correspondents Association, would be rescheduled within a month.</p><p>&quot;They seem to think he was a lone wolf, and I feel that too,&quot; the president said. One officer was shot at close range in his safety vest and appeared to be not seriously harmed.</p><p>Trump added that the hotel venue was &quot;not a particularly secure&quot; facility, as questions swirled about the president&#x27;s safety protocols.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>- Multiple attempts on Trump&#x27;s life -</strong></div><p>Trump was the target of an assassination attempt during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania in 2024. A gunman fired several shots, killing an audience member and lightly wounding the president in the ear.</p><p>A few months later, another man was arrested after a Secret Service agent saw the barrel of a rifle poking from the bushes on the perimeter of the West Palm Beach golf course where Trump was playing a round.</p><p>The Washington Hilton, where Saturday&#x27;s gala was taking place, is the site where Republican President Ronald Reagan was shot by a would-be assassin in 1981.</p><p>Trump on Sunday said the shooting underlined the security reasons that he has cited for planning a huge new ballroom next to the White House, a project that has faced legal challenges.</p><div><a class="fr-strong fr-green" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2026/4/27/gunman-sought-to-kill-trump-cabinet-at-gala-dinner-0715">READ: Gunman sought to kill Trump, cabinet at gala dinner</a></div><p>The White House Correspondents&#x27; Association invited Trump to its gala this year despite his repeated attacks on the media.</p><p>Before this year and unlike all other presidents from the past 100 years, Trump had never attended while in office.</p><p>The dinner brings together journalists and the who&#x27;s who of Washington to raise funds for scholarships and awards.</p><p>The incident came less than 48 hours before King Charles III and Queen Camilla begin a four-day state visit to Washington.</p>

<p>A California man accused of storming a gala dinner attended by President Donald Trump was to appear in court Monday over a shooting that marks the latest spasm of political violence in deeply divided America. </p>

A California man accused of storming a gala dinner attended by President Donald Trump was to appear in court Monday over a shooting that marks the latest spasm of political violence in deeply divided America.

Suspect in shooting at Trump press dinner to appear in court

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Suspect in shooting at Trump press dinner to appear in court

Ben SHEPPARD and Daniel STUBLEN,

Agence France-Presse

Published April 27, 2026 07:18 PM PHT

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Washington

United States

Donald Trump

political violence

assasination attempt

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