What could go wrong at the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner, at the Washington Hilton Hotel in the presence of Donald Trump;
Everything, according to the facts. Evenan attempted assassination of the US President in the “heart” of the capital.
Before it turned into a crime scene, last Saturday night at the ultra-luxury Washington, D.C., hotel had value in its own right.
For the first time since 2015, Mr Trump was to attend the annual correspondents’ dinner. During his first term (2017-2021), he undermined the institution and was absent. Possibly mindful of a 2011 incident when – at the same event – President Barack Obama mocked him from the stage.
This year, Mr Trump not only decided to attend, but also acted prepared to lambast the “mainstream” media, launching a barrage of slander against them for what he considers fake news and misinformation.
However, things turned out differently. Shortly after 8:30pm (US time), the president was on stage chatting with CBS reporter Weigia Jiang. In front of them were thousands of attendees, seated at more than 250 tables. Suddenly, gunshots rang out.
In a flash of lightning (captured in audio-visual footage that went viral on the Internet), Secret Service officers rushed first to remove Vice President J.D. Vance from the stage, and a few seconds later Donald Trump. What had happened?
A gunman, 31-year-old Cole Thomas of Torrance, California, attempted to storm the ballroom, where Mr Trump, top government officials and hundreds of reporters were in attendance. According to descriptions, the gunman ran past a security checkpoint and, after exchanging gunfire with police and Secret Service agents, was arrested inside the hotel.
According to The New York Times yesterday, investigators were trying to determine the motive for the armed attack. At the same time, they were investigating how a gunman was able to get close to one of Washington’s most heavily guarded events. There were, however, reports in the U.S. media of slight protective measures.
Following conflicting decisions, the dinner was postponed.The president was safely removed from the hotel around 9:40 p.m. and an hour later addressed the nation from the White House.
“This was very unexpected,” Mr. Trump said, thanking law enforcement for their response. “This was an event dedicated to free speech, which was supposed to bring together members of both parties, along with members of the press. And, in a way, it did,”he assessed.
He then criticized the hotel’s security protocols and reemphasized the necessity of a ballroom at the White House with a security bunker. When asked about multiple attempts on his life, he said assassassins target “the people with the most influence.” And he added: “I don’t want to say I’m honoured by it, but I’ve done a lot.”
“Because of the events of the evening, I ask all Americans to recommit to the peaceful resolution of our differences,” Mr Trump noted, and pledged that the dinner would be rescheduled within 30 days.
This was the third time in the past three years that the US president has come under fire or the threat of gunfire. On September 15, 2024, a man armed with a rifle hid in the bushes of the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, planning to shoot him. The suspect, Ryan Routh, was arrested and sentenced to life in prison for attempted murder.
Earlier, on July 13, 2024, Mr Trump was wounded in the ear by gunman’s gunfire in Butler, Pennsylvania, during a campaign rally ahead of the presidential election.
On that day, Mr Trump became the first current or former US president to face an assassination attempt in 43 years. The previous one was in 1981, when Ronald Reagan was shot outside the Washington Hilton hotel as he headed for the presidential limousine. The then president – whom the current White House occupant greatly admires – was seriously wounded but survived.
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