White House dinner shooting latest: Trump safe as suspect in custody

A former US ambassador has said there are “certainly security problems” at the prestigious annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner following the shooting.

Kim Darroch, who served as Britain’s ambassador to the US between 2016 and 2019, said there is only one security check for would-be attackers to breach in order to reach the ballroom at the Washington Hilton where the President and other senior politicians are seated.

He told the BBC’s Laura Kuennsberg all you have to do is “show your invitation card… to get into the building”. There is then a security checkpoint outside the ballroom with a metal detector and bag check, he added, and the hotel is also full of guests who are not attending the event.

He added: “So if you were there and you had bad intentions about breaking into this dinner, there’s just one security thing you have to get past, which you saw in that film, where the gunman runs past it, the bag check, and then you’re in the ballroom. So there are certainly security problems there.”

In a late night White House press conference after the shooting, President Trump – still wearing his tuxedo from the dinner – vowed to reschedule the prestigious event.

Speaking of the suspect, he added: “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, adding the attack had “unified” political opponents and the media.

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.”

King Charles’ security during his US state visit this week is being taken “very seriously” after a gunman tried to charge a Washington DC dinner attended by President Donald Trump.

The White House Correspondents’ Association dinner was thrown into chaos by the attack on Saturday night, which comes a day before the British monarch is due to arrive in the US for a state visit.

Sir Keir Starmer has sent a message of solidarity to Mr Trump after the incident, chief secretary to the prime minister Darren Jones told Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips on Sky News.

He said: “These are remarkable scenes. The prime minister has, this morning, sent a message to the president of the United States in solidarity for the events that took place.

“As you would imagine, with the visit of His Majesty the King this week, our teams are working closely to ensure that security arrangements are put appropriately in place.”

Asked if there are any extra concerns for the King’s safety during the state visit that begins on Monday, Mr Jones said: “As you would imagine, the government and the Palace take the security of His Majesty very seriously, and there were already extensive discussions taking place, which will continue over the coming days.”

Mr Jones told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme that discussions on the King’s security during his visit to the United States would take place on Sunday.

Asked if that meant there would be any escalation on what had already been planned, he said: “There’ll be appropriate security in place in relation to the risk.”

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

Neighbours have reacted to the arrest of suspected gunman Cole Tomas Allen, a 31-year-old from Torrance, California.

Allen, a 2017 graduate of California Institute of Technology, was working as a teacher at the time of his arrest while also developing computer games.

In 2025, he attained a master’s degree in computer science from ‌California ⁠State University at Dominguez Hills in 2025.

On his LinkedIn page, Allen described himself as a “mechanical engineer and computer scientist by degree, ​independent game developer by experience, teacher by birth.”

A neighbor of Allen’s told The LA Times. “We see them every day and we just say hi and they’re very nice. They’re peaceful people, they don’t make any noise and when they see you they say hi.”

Another neighbor said the residents had only moved into the home six months previously.

While another neighbor told The New York Times that the community is home to “lots of retired LAPD… We were told it was super-super safe.”

The attacker was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives when he stormed a security checkpoint at the prestigious dinner, according to police.

The suspect has been identified as Cole Tomas Allen, a California resident about 31 years old. Little is ⁠known about his background, but social media postings suggest he works as a teacher in Torrance, near ​Los Angeles.

Washington interim ⁠Police Chief Jeffery Carroll said the suspect was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives when he mounted the attack at around 8.35pm. It is too soon to say what his motivation was, Carroll said.

Based on preliminary information, he was believed to have been a guest at the hotel.

The Washington Hilton was also the scene of an attempt on the life of President Ronald Reagan, who was shot and wounded by a would-be assassin outside the hotel in 1981.

The Republican, who served as the 40th US President, was targeted by John Hinckley Jr as he returned to his limousine from a speaking event at the hotel on 30 March 1981. Hinckley was obsessed with Taxi Driver star Jodie Foster.

Reagan was seriously wounded by a revolver bullet which punctured his lung and caused internal bleeding, along with two law enforcement officers and a White House Press Secretary who were also hurt.

The BBC’s Gary O’Donoghue, who was at White House Correspondents’ Dinner, said it was “terrifying” when they heard shots ring out.

He said the “low kind thud that those long guns make is pretty unmistakable”.

“And when I noticed my colleague to my left was diving under the table, I thought, I’d better do the same,” he told the BBC’s Sunday with Lauran Kuennsberg.

“And we ended up on the floor, under the table, on our knees, wondering whether someone was going to start wandering around the ballroom, taking aim at 2500 of us crouched under tables. So it was pretty frightening, and it should never have, it should never have got anywhere near that.”

Discussing security at the event, which took place in the same hotel where President Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981, he said “noone checked his ID” when he walked into the ballroom.

“All the roads were closed. There were choppers overhead. But, you know, I walked a couple of blocks to the hotel,” he continued.

“I waved my invite at someone who looked at it from about six feet away. No one checked my ID. I was checked a little bit on the way into the ballroom, but even when the beeper went off, they didn’t ask me to empty my pockets or anything.”

He said the secret service did their job in protecting the event, but noted the security measures were right outside the ballroom and the hotel was full of regular guests.

Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese has praised the secret service and law enforcement agencies for the swift response to the shooting.

He joined those expressing their relief that President Trump and the First Lady were safe following the shocking incident.

Footage from inside the dinner has revealed scenes of chaos and confusion as panicked guests took shelter under tables.

Secret service agents can be seen swarming the ballroom at the Washington Hilton after the gunman tried to storm the event, but was captured by law enforcement at a checkpoint in the hotel lobby.

One user X commented: “Now they’re talking about continuing this show? Are they crazy?

“HOLY CRAP! President Trump is STORMING BACK to the stage at the WHCA Dinner after the shooter was downed,” added conservative journalist Eric Daugherty. It’s unclear if Trump is returning to the event.

“He’s NEVER RELENTING! Our President the BEST! He makes it through everything.”

Eventually, it was announced the event would be scheduled to a later date.