White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Sunday gave a call for political violence to end and thanked law enforcement for keeping all safe after a shooting incident took place at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, where US President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and other high-ranking officials from his cabinet were present, reported ANI.
In a post on X, she called the US President “truly fearless” and decried how a “fun night” to celebrate free speech was hijacked by a person who wanted to assassinate US President Trump and as many administration officials as possible.
“What was supposed to be a fun night at the @WHCA dinner with President Trump delivering jokes and celebrating free speech was hijacked by a depraved crazy person who sought to assassinate the President and kill as many top Trump administration officials as possible.”
The post further said, “I was with President Trump and the First Lady back stage after we were quickly ushered to safety by Secret Service. President Trump was truly fearless, but as he said last night, this political violence needs to end.”
“Thank you to law enforcement for keeping all of us safe, including the brave agent who took a bullet to the chest and immediately moved to neutralize the shooter. Pray for our country.”
Meanwhile, US President Trump in a telephonic conversation to Fox said the White House ballroom will be the future site of events like the White House Correspondents Dinner.
“It’s really what you need. I mean, you can’t have a thousand rooms. It is a very big hotel on top of the ballroom. And people come down in the elevator and they’re right next to the ballroom…Military and Secret Service have wanted it for many years, and I’m getting it built. And, the one good thing is that now everybody knows how badly needed it is.”
US Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on Sunday said that the suspect involved in the shooting incident and the attempted security breach during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner at the Washington Hilton Hotel appeared to be targeting members of the Trump administration, while stressing that the motive is still under investigation.
During an interview on CNN’s State of the Union, Blanche said preliminary findings suggest the suspect had specific intentions directed at government officials in the cabinet of US President Donald Trump.
According to officials, the incident triggered a swift response by the US Secret Service, with one suspect later taken into custody.
Authorities confirmed that the President and all primary attendees were unharmed, though a security officer was injured during the response.
The event, traditionally a gathering of media and political figures, was abruptly disrupted as security forces secured the area.
The incident unfolded when a 31-year-old man allegedly stormed a security checkpoint at the entrance of the event, with suspected gunshots heard, prompting a swift response from law enforcement and Secret Service members ushering Trump out of the venue to safety.
According to CNN, the 31-year-old man, identified as Cole Tomas Allen, emerged as the prime suspect behind the chaos that forced Trump to be swiftly evacuated, along with Vance and other members of his cabinet.
