Suspect in custody after shots fired at White House correspondents’ dinner, reports the BBC:
Gunshots were fired at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington DC on Saturday night. The suspect was arrested. An officer was shot at close range, but his bullet-proof vest saved him.
Here’s a recap of what happened:
The annual event was held at the Washington Hilton hotel, with Trump attending for the first time as president
First Lady Melania Trump, Vice-President JD Vance and hundreds journalists, media personalities and government officials were also there
A suspected gunman ran into the hotel foyer, trying to get past security officers and metal detectors, at about 00:45 GMT
Loud bangs were heard, prompting security service personnel to immediately escort the president and other officials from the venue
Hundreds of guests stayed behind for about an hour before the ballroom was cleared
Trump shared images and a video of the suspect on social media
Cole Tomas Allen, 31, is reportedly the suspect
Allen is expected to be charged on Monday with several offences, including using a firearm during a crime of violence
Trump told reporters afterwards, “I can’t imagine many professions that are more dangerous” when reflecting on several shooting attempts over the past three years
Update: As usual, everyone is rushing to find out the suspect’s politics. So far he’s weakly linked to the Democrats – a $25 donation to Kamala Harris and the fact that he’s a teacher. I do not, in fact, blame the entire Left for one man trying to assassinate Donald Trump. But I come damn close to blaming the entire “liberal” media for the unseemly haste to look up the would-be killer’s political donations. The haste is actually quite rational given the propensity of both old and new media to highlight or hide a suspect’s background depending on political convenience. These media double standards go back a long time. Here’s a Samizdata post from 2011: Two contrasting articles by Michael Tomasky on spree killers. Here are two quotes from different articles by Mr Tomasky:
Quote No.1 from this article: In the US, where hate rules at the ballot box, this tragedy has been coming for a long time:
… You don’t have to believe that alleged shooter, Jared Loughner, is a card-carrying Tea Party member (he evidently is not) to see some kind of connection between that violent rhetoric and what happened in Arizona on Saturday.
Quote No.2 from this article: American, for better or worse:
We should assume until it’s proven otherwise that Hasan was an American and a loyal one, who just snapped, as Americans of all ethnicities and backgrounds and political persuasions do.
Should the media, and the education system, be allowed to carry on their campaign of hatred and lies against President Trump and others – YES they should. However, it is also Freedom of Speech to call-out the media (and the education system) on their endless lies and hate – to let the public know that what they are being taught is-not-true.
Otherwise there are not “only” attempts at murder. There are also juries who blatantly find people they know (they know) to be innocent “guilty” – because they have been filled with hatred of the person on trial, and juries that find people “innocent” when they know (they know) they are guilty – because the jury members have been taught that crimes are justified by “Social Justice” (the arch enemy of justice), that criminals are the “real victims” – “victims of exploitation and oppression” (Labour Theory of Value, Ricardo’s theory on land – and cruder stuff as well).
And there are electorates who vote for people who support censorship and even fantasize about murdering conservatives and their children.
Remember the election in Virginia in November 2025 occurred AFTER the murder of Mr Charles Kirk – the government officials and lobbyists who decided that election were endorsing the murder, they were electing, as Attorney General, someone who fantasized about murdering conservatives and their children (indeed that was about all he was – other than hate filled fantasies there was little else in his life) and as Governor and Deputy Governor people who supported censorship and the rigging of elections (just endorsed in a very odd referendum in Virginia) and who declared that the Republican candidate for Governor, a black woman, represented “racism and sexism”.
The “black face of white supremacy” and “female face of patriarchy” tap-dance.
“Paul no one could believe such madness” – sadly with enough indoctrination from the education system and the media, it seems that most (not all – but most) voters can be led to believe (at least believe enough to vote for it) anything – if that indoctrination goes unchallenged.
No surprise – the attempted murderer was a teacher (from California).
This is what they are teaching the children.
That dissent is “violence” (“it creates an unsafe environment”) and that violence is not violence – because it is “Social Justice”.