The annual dinner of the White House Correspondents' Association, which was disrupted by an armed intruder, is expected to be held again soon. President Donald Trump of the United States, who was evacuated safely right after the shooting, is strongly pushing to reschedule the dinner, and the organizer, the White House Correspondents' Association, began discussing next steps one day after the incident.
According to a compilation of reports from The Hill, the AP and the Washington Post (WP) on the 26th, the White House Correspondents' Association signaled it would convene its board to manage the aftermath of the shooting and decide whether to hold the dinner again. Weija Jiang, president of the White House Correspondents' Association, said on X that "the association's board will meet to assess what happened and decide how to proceed." The White House Correspondents' Dinner began in 1921 and is Washington's premier annual event, drawing leading journalists and the highest ranks of the administration. President Trump attended this dinner for the first time during his term, but fled after an intruder burst in.
Right after the incident, President Trump expressed regret that he could not deliver the Highlight of the dinner, the keynote address, and urged the event to resume. In a statement posted on Truth Social shortly after the incident, he said, "It was quite a night in Washington, D.C. The Secret Service and law enforcement did a fantastic job. They acted quickly and bravely." He added, "The shooter was apprehended and I suggested we 'keep the show going,' but I will fully follow law enforcement guidance," and said, "Regardless of the decision, it will be very different from the plan, but we just have to do it again." In a phone interview with Fox News on the 25th, he again pushed for a quick rescheduling, saying, "Whether it's on the 30th, earlier or later, I want to do the dinner again in a short time."
The incident occurred on the 25th near the security screening area for the dinner at the Washington Hilton Hotel when a man in his 30s, Cole Thomas Allen, tried to enter without authorization. According to local police, the suspect rushed the checkpoint armed with a shotgun, a handgun and several knives. Anthony Guglielmi, Secret Service Spokesperson, said, "One individual is in custody, and law enforcement is actively assessing the situation." Janine Pirro, the U.S. attorney handling the case, told the Washington Post that "the suspect will be charged with two counts of using a firearm during a crime of violence and one count of assaulting a federal officer with a dangerous weapon."