An annual Washington DC dinner descended in chaos after the Donald Trump was evacuated and guests hid under tables after shots were fired late on Saturday night
Mayhem took over the annual White House correspondents’ dinner when a gunman stormed the lobby outside the ballroom and Donald Trump was swiftly evacuated.
A Secret Service agent was shot at close-range but he survived due to his bulletproof vest, while guests inside the ballroom at the Washington Hilton Hotel dived under tables. Trump wad uninjured and quickly rushed off stage as shots were fired. Police later identified the shooting suspect as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, from Torrance, California. Cops added the man was armed with multiple weapons, including a handgun, shotgun and multiple knives.
At a press conference after the attack, Trump described the suspect as a “lone wolf whack job”.
READ MORE: Trump live: Suspect identified after shots fired at White House correspondents’ dinnerREAD MORE: Donald Trump shooter Cole Thomas Allen ‘sneaked in as guest’ – all we know on gunman
8:35pm: The incident unfolded at around 8:35pm local time (1:35am UK time) as shots were heard in the hotel and guests were told to take cover. The Secret Service rushed to the US President and quickly removed him from the stage.
9:17pm: The US President posts on Truth Social for the first time since the incident and revealed the suspected gunman “has been apprehended”. He said: “Quite an evening in D.C. Secret Service and Law Enforcement did a fantastic job.”
9:36pm: Trump said law enforcement officials told the President to leave the hotel “which we will do, immediately”. In a post, he said: “The First Lady, plus the Vice President, and all Cabinet members, are in perfect condition.”
10:29pm: The President shared CCTV footage online from the hotel lobby, outside the ballroom where 2,500 guests were present, which appeared to show the suspect running past several officers and towards the hall. Trump also shared images of the suspect being detained inside the hotel.
10:30pm: Trump held a news conference from the White House and said the suspect was a “lone wolf whack job”. The President was joined at the news conference by FBI chief Kash Patel and Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche.
10:50pm: The suspect was named as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, from California, by US media outlets.
11:10pm: Images from Torrance, California, showed police searching a home believed to be linked to the suspect as dozens of cops were pictured outside the property late at night.
11:15pm: The US Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro, said authorities plan to formally charge the suspect in court on Monday with several offences, including using a firearm during a crime of violence.
It was the third time since 2024 that the president had been under threat by an attacker in his immediate vicinity – including the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, that injured him and killed a local firefighter.
Trump, after the attack, said: “Today we need levels of security that probably nobody has ever seen before.” He also said: “We’re not going to let anybody take over our society.”