"The people that make the biggest impact, they're the ones that they go after," said President Donald Trump after the shooting incident on Saturday, April 25
Credit: Mandel NGAN / AFP via Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- President Donald Trump was evacuated from the White House Correspondents’ Dinner amid a shooting incident on Saturday, April 25
- During a press conference shortly after, Trump said he is “honored” to be among the presidents who have experienced assassination attempts
- The alleged suspect in the incident is a 31-year-old California man, who is facing multiple charges, including using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer
President Donald Trump is opening up about how it feels to be the target of multiple assassination attempts following the shooting incident at the White House Correspondents' Dinner.
Trump, 79, was rushed out of the Washington Hilton ballroom in Washington, D.C., amid gunfire that left one Secret Service agent injured on Saturday, April 25. During a press conference shortly after the incident, he expressed feeling “honored” to be among presidents who have experienced an assassination attempt.
When asked by a reporter, “Why do you think this keeps happening?” Trump responded, “Well, you know, I've studied assassinations, and I must tell you the most impactful people, the people who do the most, take a look at Abraham Lincoln … the people that make the biggest impact, they're the ones that they go after. They don't go after the ones that don't do much.”
“And when you look at the people where there was an attempt or a successful attempt, they're very impactful people. They're big names," he continued. "I hate to say I'm honored by that, but I've done a lot, we've done a lot … we were the laughing stock for years and now we're the hottest country anywhere in the world."
"We've changed this country and there are a lot of people that are not happy about that," Trump added.
The shooting incident on Saturday marks the third attempt on his life, having had a bullet pierce his ear at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania in July 2024 and being the target of an assassination attempt at his Florida golf course in September 2024.
Dramatic footage posted online shows Secret Service agents rushing to evacuate Trump from the Washington Hilton ballroom after the shooting erupted at around 8:36 p.m. local time on Saturday. First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt were also escorted out.
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In a Truth Social post shortly after the incident, Trump confirmed that "the shooter has been apprehended."
He later shared a video on the social media platform of the suspect running past security at the White House Correspondents' Dinner as law enforcement officers pointed their guns. Trump also posted a photo of the suspect on the ground after being apprehended.
Law enforcement officers have identified the alleged shooter as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen from Torrance, Calif., CNN and CBS News reported. He is believed to be a California Institute of Technology graduate and a part-time teacher.
Credit: realDonaldTrump/truthsocial
During Saturday's press conference, Trump said the shooter, who is currently in custody, appears to have been working alone.
“He was a guy who looked pretty evil when he was down," said Trump. "In my opinion, he was a sick person. Who would do that but a sick person?"
"[Authorities] seem to think he's a lone wolf,” he continued, before praising the Secret Service for their quick reaction to the incident.
Elsewhere in the press conference, Trump said, “These people, they're crazy and you never know. We had resources all over.
"We had resources sitting at tables literally in disguise," he continued. "He had a long way to go. That was really the first line of defense and they got him.”
“We had no idea, there was no notification, we had no idea,” he added of the shooting.
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