The former president said that ‘we must all repudiate the idea that violence has a place in our democracy’
Former American President Barack Obama condemned the attack that occurred on Saturday night (25) at the White House correspondents’ gala dinner, which was attended by current president Donald Trump, and repudiated the violence.
“While we still don’t have details about the motivations behind last night’s shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, we must all repudiate the idea that violence has a place in our democracy,” Obama wrote this Sunday (26) on the social network X.
The incident
The President of the United States, Donald Trump, was taken from a press dinner in Washington on Saturday nightafter a shooting attack. According to a publication by the FBI in Washington on the X network, a suspect was detained.
The event is annual and takes place at the Washington Hilton Hotel, where dinner is held for the White House correspondent journalists. It was the first time that Trump participated in the meeting as US president.
In addition to Trump, the vice president, JD Vance and the first lady, Melania Trump, were also removed from the scene by Secret Service agents.
Loud bangs were heard and guests at the White House Correspondents’ Association gala dinner ran for cover under tables.
Tactical teams with weapons drawn positioned themselves on the stage where Trump was sitting before he was evacuated. Police surrounded the Washington Hilton Hotel and helicopters flew overhead.
According to the Young PanDonald Trump planned to speak for 40 minutes at the event attended by more than 400 journalists.
In a note, on the social network Truth Social, the president praised the Secret Service. “The Secret Service and law enforcement did a fantastic job. They acted quickly and bravely. The shooter was apprehended and I recommended that we ‘let the show go on,’ but we will follow law enforcement guidance entirely. They will make a decision soon,” he wrote.
“Regardless of this decision, the night will be very different than planned and we will simply have to do it all over again,” added Trump.
In another social media post, Trump reported that law enforcement authorities requested that the facilities be evacuated and that he would hold a press conference in a few minutes. “Police authorities have requested that we leave the premises, in accordance with protocol, which we will do immediately. I will hold a press conference in 30 minutes, in the White House Press Room”, he informed.
The president also stated that the first lady, vice president and all cabinet members are safe. According to Trump, after speaking with the representatives responsible for the event, the dinner will be rescheduled within the next 30 days.
The entire room was emptied, AFP journalists confirmed. Several members of the American government, from the head of the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth, to the head of the State Department, Marco Rubio, were apparently also evacuated.
*With information from AFP
