Trump says alleged shooter at White House correspondents dinner is a ‘lone wolf,’ probe under way

US PRESIDENT Donald Trump said his impression is that the suspect who disrupted Saturday’s White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington acted as a “lone wolf” and was in custody as law enforcement investigates the incident.

“A man charged a security checkpoint armed with multiple weapons, and he was taken down by some very brave members of Secret Service,” Trump said at a press briefing at the White House on Saturday (Apr 25).

“He’s in custody and they’re asking him a lot of questions,” the president added. He indicated that police were searching the suspect’s residence in California.

Secret Service apprehended a suspect at the Washington Hilton, where the event was being held in the US capital. Witnesses said they saw an individual running past security, down the stairs and toward the ballroom hosting the event. Security officials fired multiple rounds at the individual, witnesses said.

Trump and other senior US officials were evacuated from the event immediately after shots were fired outside the ballroom. Trump earlier said Vice-President JD Vance, First Lady Melania Trump and members of his Cabinet were safe.

“As you know this is not the first time in the past couple of years that our republic has been attacked by a would-be assassin who sought to kill,” Trump said. “In light of this evening’s events, I ask that all Americans recommit with their hearts and resolving our difference peacefully.”

“We have to resolve our differences,” he added.

Officer shot

US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said the suspect has been charged on two felony counts and will be arraigned on Monday.

“There will be many more charges based upon the information that we are learning in this very fluid situation,” she said at a separate press briefing on Saturday.

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Both Pirro and the president said there had been no indication of additional potential threats. Trump, asked if he believed the incident was related to the Iran war, he said he did not think that was the case.

Trump praised the efforts of law enforcement and said that one officer was shot, but had been protected by wearing a bullet-proof vest. That officer is “doing great,” Trump said.

“I don’t care how many people you have, how good they are. They can be the greatest people you have, the greatest security in history – if you have a whack job who’s got a brain, but it’s a little bit distorted, or a lot distorted, they can make trouble,” he said.

The president was joined by FBI Director Kash Patel and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche for the press conference.

Blanche said the investigation was ongoing and that authorities expected to file charges shortly. Patel said that law enforcement officials were already conducting investigations and that an evidence response unit was examining the ballistics from the scene, including a “long gun and the shell casings.”

Plans to reschedule

The dinner was cancelled and guests were asked to leave the venue following the incident. Trump said the event would be rescheduled within the next 30 days.

Trump, when asked about his immediate reaction to the incident as it unfolded, said he had heard a sound and thought it was the noise from a server dropping a tray in the ballroom, calling it a “pretty loud noise” but seeming to come from “quite far away.”

“We were whisked away. And again, the performance of the Secret Service, and it was very quick,” Trump said, praising the response of the agents. “It was a matter of seconds before we were out the door.”

Trump indicated that he had wanted to return to the event Saturday night and carry on. “I said very importantly that we’ll do it again within the next 30 days, and we’ll make it bigger and better and even nicer,” he added.

The dinner is a fundraiser with proceeds going in part to scholarships for journalism students. Attendees number in the thousands, attracting scores of journalists, politicians, business leaders and celebrities. BLOOMBERG