Was Trump the target of White House Correspondents’ dinner shooting? US President addresses Iran war speculation

Following the shooting at the annual dinner of the White House Correspondents’ Association at the Washington Hilton hotel on Saturday night (April 25, 2026), US President Donald Trump, who was present at the event, said the suspect behind the shooting was a “would-be assassin.”

While addressing a press briefing at the White House, Trump said that the man was “armed with multiple weapons.” The man charged past a security checkpoint, he said, adding, "One officer was shot but saved by the fact that he was wearing, obviously, a very good bulletproof vest.”

“We looked at all of the conditions that took place tonight, and I will say, you know, it's not a particularly secure building,” he continued. On being asked if he was the target of the shooter, Trump said, “I guess,” as quoted by news agency Reuters. “I guess. These people are crazy,” he stated.


Trump also stated that he believes the suspected shooter who stormed the White House correspondents' dinner was a "lone wolf." "In my opinion, he was a lone wolf," he said, describing the man as a "whack job," as quoted by news agency AFP.

On being asked whether the shooting incident was linked to the Iran war, Trump said that he felt there was no reason to believe the attack was connected to the war in Iran. “Don’t think so,” he said, as quoted by Reuters. “The incident won’t deter me from winning in the Iran war.” The shooting suspect was identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press.

Trump describes scene

Trump described the sequence of events and emphasized that the shooter still remained a far distance from the ballroom where thousands of people had gathered for the dinner. “He hadn’t anywhere close to breached the doors of the ballroom,” the president said.

Trump escaped uninjured

Trump was uninjured, and other top White House officials were evacuated from the dinner on Saturday night. Authorities said the incident occurred outside the ballroom where Trump and other guests were seated. It was not immediately clear what happened. The event was scrapped and will be rescheduled.

The FBI said the shooter is in custody and that its Washington field office is responding to the shooting. The president, who had repeatedly said he wanted to continue the dinner until law enforcement said otherwise, insisted it would be rescheduled and would happen. He stressed that the event will be “better” and “we’ll make it safer.”

“I see so many tuxedos and beautiful dresses,” Trump said. “It was a little different evening than we thought. But we’re going to do it again.”