After WHCA Dinner Shooting, President Trump Calls for Stronger Security Measures

US President Donald Trump condemned the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) Dinner, saying the incident only further demonstrated the need for further improvements in the presidential estate’s security facilities, underneath the planned Ball Room.

Trump’s comments came in the aftermath of his attempted shooting, when he was rushed out of the Dinner on Saturday night safely, after a gunman opened fire inside the venue, prompting an immediate security lockdown.

“It’s not a particularly secure building,” Trump said of the Washington Hilton at a White House press conference after the shooting. “And I didn’t want to say this, but this is why we have to have all the attributes of what we’re planning at the White House.”

Pointing to his plans for a new ballroom complex, which would include a reinforced underground bunker beneath what is currently the East Wing, he said “This is why we have to have all the attributes of what we’re planning at the White House.”

The President likened the shooting as part of a broader pattern of attempted assassinations, referencing previous attempts on his life during and after the 2024 campaign. Trump had previously survived a shooting at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and a separate incident at his Florida golf course months later.

“Today, we need levels of security probably nobody has seen before,” Trump said, arguing that high-profile figures face increasing threats. He added that attackers tend to target “the most impactful people.”

He further remarked “I hate to say I’m honored by that, but I’ve done a lot.”

The incident marked the first time that Trump attended the White House Correspondents’ Dinner after skipping the event during his first term.

A major annual gathering of journalists, politicians and public figures, Trump said that prior to shooting, he had intended to attack all media outfits which have been unfairly critical of his administration.

Canceled post the incident, the dinner is set to be rescheduled within the next 30 days, Trump wrote on Truth Social Sunday night.

“I fought like hell to stay after the attack,” Trump said, remarking that he was “all set to rip” the press in his planned speech, which he was unable to deliver. “I don’t know if I can ever be as rough as I was going to be tonight,” when the event is rescheduled, Trump added.

Trump said that he wanted to continue the dinner, after the shooting incident, but the law enforcement argued otherwise. He said that one Secret Service agent had been shot by a bullet, though was unharmed as he was wearing a bulletproof vest.

The US President said that he was “very far away” when the shots were fired, pointing that the shooter “hadn’t come anywhere close to breach the doors of the room.”

He later went on to release photos of the suspect and a clip of security video of the incident, “showing the violence of this thug that attacked the Constitution, and also showing how quickly Secret Service and law enforcement acted.”

The evacuation occurred just after 8:30 p.m. ET (Eastern Time) after the sound of gunfire sent attendees scurrying and ducking under tables, while the US President and First Lady Melania Trump were whisked off the stage by Secret Service agents.

The suspect had a shotgun, knives and handgun on him, according to law enforcement.

Commenting on the shooting, Trump said he “heard a noise” though didn’t immediately think it was gunfire, but rather thought it was a “tray going down.”

“But it was a gun,” the President noted. “And some people really understood that pretty quickly, other people didn’t. I was watching to see what was happening, probably should have gone down even faster.”

“Melania was very cognizant, I think, of what happened. I think she knew immediately what happened,” he said adding “We were whisked away, along with other people, but we were really whisked away.”

The suspect, identified as 31-year-old Cole Allen of Torrance, California, told law enforcement following his arrest that he wanted to shoot Trump administration officials. However, the arrestee didn’t specify whether Trump was his mark, or if he was only targeting “administration officials,” another law enforcement source said.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the investigation is “ongoing,” and charges will be filed “shortly.”

One officer was shot but “saved by the fact that he was wearing, obviously, a very good bulletproof vest. He was shot from very close distance with a very powerful gun,” the President remarked. “The vest did the job”

The President informed that he spoke with the officer, and described him as being in good spirits.

“This was an event dedicated to freedom of speech that was supposed to bring together members of both parties with members of the press,” Trump stated, remarking “And in a certain way it did. Because the fact that they just unified, I saw a room that was just totally unified. It was, in one way, very beautiful, a very beautiful thing to see.”

Earlier at the hotel, after the shots were fired, President Trump, First Lady Melania, Vice President Vance, and several other cabinet members were evacuated by the security.

Proceedings were halted mid-event, and attendees were directed to exit as security personnel responded. Secret Service agents quickly converged on the stage, where Trump had been present, and removed him from the hall.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he left the venue after what he described as a shooting-related incident. “Law enforcement has requested that we leave the premises, consistent with protocol, which we will do immediately,” he wrote.

“The First Lady, the Vice President, and all Cabinet members are in perfect condition,” he added.

Reporters at the venue described hearing repeated bangs before armed agents intervened. “They pushed us back, shouting ‘Shots fired,’” one journalist recounted in a press pool update.