Gunshots rang out inside the ballroom of the Washington Hilton hotel on Saturday, April 25, shortly after 8:30 p.m., causing panic among guests. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, along with other senior figures in the administration, were escorted out by Secret Service agents.
The suspected gunman, Cole Tomas Allen, reportedly charged past a security checkpoint armed with a shotgun, handgun, and knives, exchanging gunfire with law enforcement before being pinned down by security and arrested.
Speaking on CNN’s State of the Union, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said investigators believe Allen intended to target administration officials. No guests were injured despite multiple shots being fired, though a Secret Service officer was struck in their bulletproof vest, resulting in a minor injury.
Being present at an event where gunfire breaks out is something most people hope never to experience. However, President Trump addressed the incident during a press conference later that evening and said he felt “honored” when asked about a previous assassination attempt in Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024.
“I’m honored by that”
The reporter asked why Trump believes he continues to be targeted, to which he replied: “I’ve studied assassinations and I must tell you, the most impactful people – the people that do the most… the people that make the biggest impact, those are the ones they go after,” according to UNILAD.
“They don’t go after the ones that don’t do much because they like it that way. When you look at the people… whether it was an attempt or successful attempt, they’re very impactful people… They’re big names.
“I hate to say I’m honored by that but I’ve done a lot. We’ve taken this country and we were a laughing stock for years, now we’re the hottest country anywhere in the world. We’ve changed this country and there’s a lot of people that are not happy about that.”
During the press briefing, Trump also described the suspected shooter from Saturday’s event as a “whack job” and a “lone wolf.”
“My impression is he was a lone wolf whack job. These are crazy people,” he said, continuing: “I saw a room that was just totally unified. It was, in one way, very beautiful, a very beautiful thing. To see a man charge a security checkpoint armed with multiple weapons, and he was taken down by some very brave members of the Secret Service, and they acted very quickly. It is always shocking when something like this happens.”
Cole Tomas Allen has not confirmed that he was targeting Trump specifically.
READ MORE
- Viewers all spot the same disturbing detail from the attempted Trump shooting
- People are pointing out ‘major proof’ that attempted Trump assassination was staged
