Gunman sought to assassinate Trump and as many top officials as possible — White House
Karoline Leavitt (photo: Getty Images)
The suspected gunman who stormed a dinner overnight intended to open fire on US President Donald Trump and administration officials, according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
She says the White House Correspondents' Association dinner was meant to be a lighthearted evening of jokes and a celebration of free speech. Instead, it was disrupted by an attempted attack.
"A depraved, crazy person sought to assassinate the President and kill as many top Trump administration officials as possible," Leavitt said.
She noted that she was backstage with the president and First Lady Melania Trump after the US Secret Service quickly led them off the stage.
Leavitt added that "Trump was truly fearless," recalling his statement that political violence must end.
"Thank you to law enforcement for keeping all of us safe, including the brave agent who took a bullet to the chest and immediately moved to neutralize the shooter," she concluded.
Background
On April 26, Donald Trump and senior administration officials attended a dinner with White House press corps journalists at the Washington Hilton. Shortly afterward, a man forced his way into the building, and several shots were heard. Trump and other officials were immediately ushered to safety.
Preliminary reports identified the suspect as 31-year-old teacher Cole Allen from Torrance, California. Media reports said that after the incident, he stated he had planned to open fire on officials in the US president's administration.
Note that a few hours earlier, Donald Trump linked the incident to the need to build a ballroom at the White House, suggesting that if it had already been completed and construction had not been blocked, the incident would not have occurred.
