Fearful moments during the White House correspondents’ dinner at the Washington Hilton. Yesterday evening, Saturday 25 April, a man opened fire during the gala event with journalists, with US Secret Service agents immediately intervening to secure President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and other staff members.
New attack
According to what was reported by journalists present at the dinner, some officers started shouting “gunshots”, then chaos, a stampede, until the announcement of the arrest of the armed man. According to multiple law enforcement sources briefed on the latest developments, the suspect is a 30-year-old man from California who is in the process of being charged. During the shooting, an officer was hit by a bullet but survived thanks to his bulletproof vest and was transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Trump’s post
Trump, having returned to the White House, commented on the incident on Truth, publishing photos of the attacker: “What an evening in Washington! The Secret Service and law enforcement did a fantastic job. They acted quickly and courageously. The attacker was arrested and I recommended ‘let the show go on’, but we will completely comply with the instructions of law enforcement. They will make a decision shortly. Regardless of that decision, the evening will be very different from how we had planned it and, simply, we will have to do it again.” “Law enforcement has asked us to leave the facility, as required by protocol, which we will do immediately – Trump wrote in another post announcing a press conference from the White House Press Room -. The first lady, the Vice President and all members of the Cabinet are in perfect condition. We will speak to you in half an hour. I have spoken with all those responsible for the event and we will reschedule it within 30 days”.
At a press conference, Trump then explained that the suspect has “been captured” and the police force “is going to his apartment. I believe he lives in California, and he is a sick person, a very sick person, and we don’t want things like that to happen.” Flanked by members of his Cabinet, the president described the suspect’s actions that led to the shooting. “A man stormed a security checkpoint, armed with several weapons, and was neutralized by some brave members of the secret service.” The president referenced previous attempts on his life, citing assassination attempts in Butler, Pennsylvania, and Palm Beach, Florida, and calling on Americans to “resolve our differences.” As reported by the Washington Post, the man who opened fire is called Tom Allen, he is 31 years old and lives in Torrance, California.
The testimony of the witnesses
Among the journalists present at the event there was also Iacopo Luzi, collaborator of AdnKronos: “The dinner was organized in the largest room of the Washington Hilton, there are two side entrances and a central one with a staircase that also leads to the upper floor. I was at the side of the door, at table 219. At a certain point, a shot is heard, then three more sharp shots. I thought of something that had fallen, because they were serving dinner, we were waiting for the lobster. Instead they start to run away everyone, people coming in from outside, total panic breaks out. Trump is taken away and we are stuck in lockdown for half an hour.”
The precedents
For Donald Trump, from the election campaign to his second term, the Washington Hilton is already the third security incident. During a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July 2024, a gunman fired several shots at Trump, one of which he said grazed his ear. Five Secret Service agents rushed to the stage and protected the tycoon, while the crack of two more gunshots rang out across the grounds of the Butler Farm Show. Nearly two months later, in September, Trump suffered a second apparent assassination attempt, when a gunman lurked on the Mar-a-Lago golf course. The only shots fired came from the gun of an officer protecting Trump, but the latter was carried to safety unharmed.