Donald Trump calls correspondents' dinner gunman ‘lone wolf whack job’

A gunman armed with “multiple weapons” who tried to charge a Washington dinner attended by Donald Trump was “a lone wolf whack job”, according to the US president.

The White House Correspondents’ Association dinner was thrown into chaos by the attack on Saturday night and saw the American leader, who has been the previous target of an assassination attempt, swiftly evacuated by Secret Service agents along with other senior members of the administration.

One officer, who was shot but protected by his bulletproof vest, was taken to hospital.

The suspect, said to have been carrying a shotgun and handgun, has been identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California.

He is understood to have been a guest in the Washington Hilton hotel where the event was being held and faces charges including assaulting an officer with a dangerous weapon, but acting attorney general Todd Blanche said additional charges will be filed.

The president posted pictures on his Truth Social platform of the alleged assailant handcuffed on the ground following his detention.

Trump vowed to reschedule the disrupted event at a late-night press conference following the shooting, which he said had “unified” political opponents and the media.

He was attending the annual dinner for the first time as president.

Trump said: “My impression is he was a lone wolf whack job. These are crazy people.”

The president praised the secret service and said the gunman was not close to breaching the ballroom where he sat on stage at the time of the incident.

He added: “I saw a room that was just totally unified. It was, in one way, very beautiful, a very beautiful thing.

“To see a man charge a security checkpoint armed with multiple weapons, and he was taken down by some very brave members of secret service, and they acted very quickly.”

He added: “It is always shocking when something like this happens.”

Washington mayor Muriel Bowser said she had “no reason” to believe anyone else was involved.

Blanche said: “Tonight you saw the very worst and the very best of this country. You saw the very worst by the actions of that coward… but you also saw the very best because you saw law enforcement do exactly what they’re supposed to do.

“I promise you justice will be served.”

The @UKinUSA team attending tonight’s White House Correspondents dinner are grateful for the swift and professional response of the 🇺🇸 Secret Service. We are thankful that the President and all those in attendance were unharmed & our best wishes are with the injured officer.

— Christian Turner (@CTurnerFCDO) April 26, 2026

The armed assault comes just days before the visit of Britain’s King Charles and Queen Camilla, where they are due to meet Trump and attend a White house banquet.

When asked about the incident and any impact on the trip, Buckingham Palace said it does not comment on security matters.

The Washington Hilton has been the location of a previous attempted presidential assassination when then president Ronald Reagan was shot by John Hinckley Jr outside the hotel in 1981.

It led to security being ramped up at the property.