Trump’s first WHCA dinner
The suspect — who was armed with a shotgun, handgun and knives — was staying at the Washington Hilton hotel where the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner was held.
The New York Post said Allen had written in a message shared with his family shortly before the attack that his targets would be “prioritised from highest-ranking to lowest.”
In the seconds after the shooting erupted a floor above, Secret Service agents swarmed into the ballroom, prompting chaotic scenes as attendees dove under tables.
Crowded into the venue were Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance, several cabinet members and top lawmakers, and hundreds of guests.
Trump said at a hastily arranged late-night news conference at the White House that he first thought the noise was a tray being dropped, before realising it was gunfire.
He said he hoped the gala would be rescheduled within a month, adding that the hotel venue was “not a particularly secure” facility, as questions swirled about the president’s safety protocols.
The hotel has hosted gala dinners for the White House Correspondents Association for decades without incident. The WHCA routinely invites sitting presidents to attend, but Saturday was the first time Trump had accepted.