Saturday night’s shooting, which wounded a Secret Service agent at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, has reopened questions about the level of protection for America’s political leaders at a time of heightened political violence.
Hundreds of agents from several security agencies were in charge of securing the annual event, whose main guest this year was President Donald Trump.
Nevertheless, the suspect with a shotgun and other weapons managed to approach only one floor above the auditorium in Washington, where an extremely large number of cabinet members, high-ranking legislators and public figures were present.
In addition to Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegsett, Attorney General Todd Blanche, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant, Secretary of the Interior Doug Bergham, as well as numerous other government officials, many of whom had their own security, were also present.
Reuters states that it is still too early to definitively say whether there were failures by the security services or misunderstandings in communication.
However, since it happened less than two years after the two assassinations of Trump during the 2024 presidential campaign, Saturday’s incident indicates that even the most comprehensive system of personal security in the country has vulnerable points, the agency assesses.
Washington’s police chief said the alleged attacker, who was armed with a shotgun, pistol and knives, was staying at the Washington Hilton Hotel, where the dinner was held.
During an impromptu press conference at the White House after the incident, Trump praised members of the emergency and security services, including the Secret Service.
He also spoke about the dangers of the presidential office, recalling that some of his predecessors were killed in assassinations, but added that the suspect was not even close to “breaking through” the door of the hall.
“It’s not a very secure building,” Trump said of the hotel, which is about a ten-minute drive from the White House. In 1981, the assassination of then President Ronald Reagan was carried out in that hotel.
Although about 2,600 guests had to pass through metal detectors to enter the basement ballroom, it was enough to show a ticket to enter the hotel itself, and the hotel was also open to guests. With the entrance to the facility surrounded by protesters, many protesting the Trump administration’s war on Iran, dignitaries were quickly allowed inside, Reuters reported.
The video shows the attacker running down the corridor past the security checkpoint. He then shot the agent before being subdued, authorities said.
In the ballroom, guests were still eating pea and burrata salad when guests in the back of the room reported hearing several gunshots.
Secret Service agents quickly removed Trump and Vance from the head table, while security guards for numerous ministers and lawmakers – who were sitting in the hall along with reporters and their guests – reacted in different ways. Some agents made their way through the crowded hall, climbing on chairs and knocking over dishes to reach the people they were protecting, while confused guests sought cover under tables.
The security of the cabinet members, including Rubio, Besant and Bergam, knocked their charges to the floor and formed human shields. Most of the wards were eventually taken out of the hall, but the time of their evacuation varied considerably – some were taken out almost immediately, while others remained in place for a few more minutes.
Trump, who narrowly escaped death in 2024 when an assassin’s bullet grazed his ear during a campaign rally, was ready for the festivities to continue, White House officials said.
He later told reporters that the Secret Service had assessed that the continuation of the event was not possible.
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