The suspect triggered a chaotic scene during the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in which shots were fired – Image: Jonathan Ernst/REUTERS
The suspect in the attempted attack at the White House Correspondents’ dinner is believed to have been targeting US President Donald Trump and members of his administration.
What you need to know
- Acting Attorney General said the suspect was likely targeting Trump and his team at the White House dinner
- Shots were fired at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner with President Trump in attendance
- Trump, uninjured, was rushed from the event by security personnel
- The suspect, a 31-year-old man from California, has been taken into custody
- A Secret Service agent was hit and is in hospital
- Trump held a press conference at the White House after the shooting
White House: Trump was target of assassination attempt
The shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on Saturday night was an attempt to “assassinate” US President Donald Trump and other members of his administration, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed on Sunday.
Leavitt wrote on social media that the event had been “hijacked by a depraved crazy person who sought to assassinate the President and kill as many top Trump administration officials as possible.”
She described Trump as “truly fearless” and echoed the President’s desire that “this political violence needs to end.”
Meanwhile, Democratic lawmaker Jamie Raskin, who also attended the dinner, has said he hopes the incident sparks a bipartisan conversation about public safety in the United States.
“We need every politician in the country, every leader in the country, every citizen in the country denouncing political violence across the board,” he told CBS News on Sunday, “regardless of where it’s coming from.”
King Charles’ state visit to US to go ahead
The state visit of British monarch King Charles III to the United States will go ahead as planned this week, US President Donald Trump said on Sunday.
The attempted shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on Saturday briefly cast doubt on the state visit, as additional security questions complicated an already challenging diplomatic event.
Earlier on Sunday, the United Kingdom’s ambassador’s to the US, Christian Turner, told CBS News that King Charles was still expected to arrive at the White House on Monday and to attend a state banquet on Tuesday night.
President Trump himself then also confirmed that the visit would be going ahead, saying: “We’re going to have a great time.”
“He’s a great guy, and we look forward to it,” he told Fox News. “He’s really a fantastic person and a tremendous representative, and he’s brave. He represents his nation like nobody else can do it.”
Previously, royal sources had told the BBC that “light adjustments” may need to be made to certain engagements on the King’s itinerary.
DW.com/NAN 27 April 26
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