Shots fired at Trump dinner
US minister comments on the attacker’s target
Updated April 26, 2026 – 3:16 p.mReading time: 3 minutes
Shots are fired at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner and a man is overpowered. What is known about him.
The alleged attacker at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner apparently targeted members of the Trump administration. US Attorney General-designate Todd Blanche told NBC News on Sunday.
However, the investigation into the motive for the crime is still ongoing, says Blanche. “We believe that in this attack, this attempted attack, he was targeting government officials, but as I said, this is still very preliminary.” The possible targets “probably” include the president, Blanche explained. However, he did not want to be “hasty” on the question.
Shots were fired at the traditional White House correspondents’ dinner in Washington on Saturday evening (local time). President Donald Trump and his wife Melania were uninjured. A man was arrested. According to police, he is the only suspect. According to initial findings, the suspected perpetrator was a guest at the hotel.
In the video | Shots fired at Trump dinner – this is how Trump and Vance escape
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According to the Secret Service, which is responsible, among other things, for the president’s security, he was “neutralized” in the foyer of the hall next to a metal detector. According to police and the FBI, the suspect fired a shotgun at a Secret Service officer. He was wearing a bulletproof vest.
The US broadcaster CNN reported that it was a 31-year-old man named Cole Tomas A. He is said to live in a suburb of Los Angeles and work as a teacher and video game developer. According to Federal Election Commission records, A. donated $25 to Democrat Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign in October 2024, according to CNN.
Donald Trump said at a press conference that the man was a “sick person” from California. An apartment is currently being searched. According to Trump, he is said to have had several weapons and intended to kill. He was very fast and ran towards the hall. Police later confirmed that the man had a shotgun, a handgun and several knives on him.
According to the Secret Service, it was stopped “on first contact.” The alleged attacker underestimated the Secret Service’s security precautions. Several people present had previously criticized this and raised the question of how the man could have gotten this far.
