The White House said that while it has full faith in the U.S. Secret Service, changes are still possible after an alleged shooter attempted to assassinate President Donald Trump and several other Cabinet officials at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on Saturday.
“I definitely wouldn’t say changes are out of the question,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters during a Monday afternoon briefing. “I think, again, that it’s up to the White House here, and we view it as a great responsibility to ensure the maximum safety of the president or vice president and the entire Cabinet, and so we’re always looking for ways to improve security.”
The alleged suspect, the 31-year-old Cole Allen, was captured on Saturday after he stormed the lobby of the Washington Hilton, where Trump, Cabinet members, and other attendees were gathered for the prestigious annual dinner.
Immediately after the shooting, questions began to swirl over allegedly lax protocols that allowed Allen to get close to the event. But the White House maintains its support of the Secret Service.
“The White House will continue to engage with DHS and with Secret Service to find ways to improve and strengthen security,” Leavitt said. “But as far as Saturday night is concerned, the president was satisfied with the response and grateful to the men and women who provided the response for him, his wife, and members of his team.”
Leavitt also thanked the “heroic” Secret Service agent who was shot in the chest during the Saturday event. “Thankfully, he was saved by his bulletproof vest,” she said.
Allen’s manifesto accused the president of being a “pedophile, rapist, and traitor.” Trump refuted those accusations in a heated interview with 60 Minutes host Norah O’Donnell on Sunday.
“I was waiting for you to read that because I knew you would, because you’re horrible people,” the president said. “Yeah, he did write that. I’m not a rapist. I didn’t rape anybody.”
In his public moments since the Saturday affair, Trump has also reiterated his desire for a renovated White House ballroom. But experts have pointed out that the WHCA dinner is a separate event not hosted by the White House and would likely not take place on campus.
In the wake of the shooting, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles will hold a meeting with the Secret Service, White House operations team, and DHS leadership in light of the shooting, Leavitt also said on Monday.
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The shooting will also not deter King Charles III of the United Kingdom’s trip to the U.S. Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla, will arrive in Washington, D.C., later on Monday afternoon for a four-day trip in the U.S.
The shooting on Saturday was the third attempt on the president’s life in two years and was reminiscent of the Butler, Pennsylvania, assassination attempt on then-presidential candidate Trump in July 2024.
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