In an interview with “CBS News”, the president states that he wanted to see what was happening before being escorted by agents
The President of the United States, (Republican), stated that he made it difficult for the Secret Service to act during a shooting attack at a dinner with authorities and journalists on Saturday (April 25, 2026). Trump gave an interview this Sunday (April 26, 2026), 1 day after the attack.
Trump was only removed from the room after the (Republican) vice president. “I wanted to see what was going on and I wasn’t making it easy for them [o Serviço Secreto]. I wanted to see what was going on. At that moment, we started to realize that maybe this was a serious problem, a different kind of problem, serious […] I probably made them act a little slower. I said, ‘Wait a minute, wait a minute. Let me see. Wait a minute’”he stated.
REACTION FROM THE FIRST LADY
The president also spoke about First Lady Melania Trump’s expression of shock. According to him, Melania immediately recognized the situation as a risk to the security of the event.
“At that moment, I think she realized beforehand that it was more of a bullet than a tray. I looked at her face just now, before I arrived. I saw the scene. They showed it to me, and, you know, a very clear close-up. She looked very upset about what had just happened.”he stated.
SHOOTER’S MANIFESTO
The shooter who tried to break into the dinner wrote an article about the attack. Despite not mentioning Trump by name, he refers to the Republican as “pedophile, rapist and traitor”. When asked about the text of , the president called the journalist who was carrying out the interview “horrible person”.
“I was waiting for you to read this because I knew you would, because you [jornalistas] they are horrible people. Yes, he wrote that. I… I’m not a rapist. I didn’t rape anyone. I’m not a pedophile. Excuse me. I’m not a pedophile. You read this nonsense written by some sick person.”he responded.
ATTACK ON TRUMP’S DINNER
Read below what is known so far:
- what there was – an armed man during an event with Trump, the Secret Service responded and shots were fired;
- what was the event – the traditional dinner with sector journalists at the White House, held on April 25, 2026 at the Washington Hilton Hotel, in the US capital, with the Republican, the 1st echelon of the Trump administration, media professionals and guests;
- Trump escorted – as soon as the shots were heard, the Secret Service;
- who is the suspect – He is 31 years old, an engineer graduated from Caltech and living in California. He was carrying two firearms and several knives at the time he was restrained by the Secret Service. He is in the custody of the authorities;
- “lone wolf” – after the attack, Trump spoke to journalists and said he believed Cole Allen – he also had a photo of the man on his social media profile;
- injured in the attack – Trump stated that he, First Lady Melania, Vice President JD Vance and other members of the government who were at the dinner are fine, but that a Secret Service agent was . He said he spoke with the officer, who is fine and was wearing a bulletproof vest.
JOURNALISTS ASSOCIATION
Saturday’s dinner (April 25) between journalists and the President of the United States, , was organized by (“White House Correspondents Association”). The most correct way to translate the name of this private entity is “Association of Journalists who Cover the White House”.
A , in response to a statement by the then US president, Woodrow Wilson, who in 1913 said that he could end the tradition of participating in interviews with journalists, as “certain afternoon newspapers” (without saying which ones) they would be publishing phrases that he considered to have given privately.
The 1st Annual WHCA Dinner was held on May 7, 1921 at the Arlington Hotel on the corner of Vermont Avenue and L Street in Washington. The then US president, Warren G. Harding, did not attend the event. The first North American president to attend the dinner was Calvin Coolidge, in 1924.
Over the years, the dinner has become a tradition in the North American political world, in the country’s capital. The location changes from time to time. It’s always an opportunity for the country’s president to speak in a more relaxed way, listen and tell jokes.
These opportunities are seen as a celebration of freedom of expression, one of the most popular rights in the country and enshrined in 1791 by the , which prevents Congress from creating laws that limit freedom of speech, press, assembly, religion and petitioning the government.
