White House dinner shooting Highlights: Gunman Cole sent anti-Trump manifesto

President Donald Trump was somberly contemplative and unusually conciliatory after confronting what he saw as a third attempt on his life in less than two years. He suggested that his personal politics had made him a repeated target, but he also called for unity and bipartisan healing in an increasingly violent world.

“It’s always shocking when something like this happens. Happened to me, a little bit. And that never changes," a subdued Trump told reporters in a hastily organized news conference at the White House late Saturday.

The suspected gunman who charged through a security checkpoint at last night’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner had shared writing that “clearly stated he wanted to target administration officials,” according to the White House.

Investigators are reviewing the document after family members sent it to police minutes before the incident, sources said.

White House shooting LIVE: Gunman Cole Allen sent an anti-President Trump manifesto to his family members about 10 minutes before opening fire at Saturday night’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner — calling himself the “Friendly Federal Assassin” and revealing he was trying to kill Trump administration officials, The New York Post has learned.

“Turning the other cheek is for when you yourself are oppressed. I’m not the person raped in a detention camp. I’m not the fisherman executed without trial,” Allen wrote in the document, which a relative provided to police, a US official said.

“I’m not a schoolkid blown up, or a child starved, or a teenage girl abused by the many criminals in this administration. Turning the other cheek when *someone else* is oppressed is not Christian behavior; it is complicity in the oppressor’s crimes.”

White House shooting LIVE: Gunman Cole Allen sent an anti-President Trump manifesto to his family members about 10 minutes before opening fire at Saturday night’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner — calling himself the “Friendly Federal Assassin” and revealing he was trying to kill Trump administration officials, The Post has learned.

“Turning the other cheek is for when you yourself are oppressed. I’m not the person raped in a detention camp. I’m not the fisherman executed without trial,” Allen wrote in the document, which a relative provided to police, a US official said.

The suspect is believed to have purchased the two firearms he carried within the last couple of years, Blanche said. He is not being cooperative and is expected to face multiple charges on Monday

The accused gunman who tried to storm the ballroom at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner with guns and knives travelled across the country before the event and is believed to have been targeting President Donald Trump and members of his administration, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday.

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ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent said Trump called him shortly after 7AM: “He was calling to see if I was ok with what happened last night...he reiterated many of the things he said in his press conference last night, emphasising the unity he felt in that moment...and he was quite firm about this: ‘That dinner must be rescheduled.’”

The gunman who charged a security checkpoint and opened fire outside the White House Correspondents’ Dinner gunman was targeting Trump officials Saturday night, according to a report.

Cole Tomas Allen, 31, told police he was going after “administration officials” at the press gala inside the Washington Hilton hotel in Washington, DC, CBS News reported, citing sources.

The UK and US will be having conversations today about security planning for King Charles’ planned state visit to the US this week, Buckingham Palace was quoted by CNN as saying after the shooting incident at Trumps's press gala.

“His Majesty is being kept fully informed of developments and is greatly relieved to hear that the President, First Lady and all guests have been unharmed,” a Buckingham Palace spokesperson reportedly said, according to PA.

A “number of discussions will be taking place throughout the day,” the spokesperson said, to work out “to what degree the events of Saturday evening may or may not impact on the operational planning for the visit,” PA reported.

PM Modi posted on X, “Relieved to learn that President Trump, the First Lady and Vice President are safe and unharmed following the recent security incident at a Washington DC hotel. I extend my best wishes for their continued safety and well-being. Violence has no place in a democracy and must be unequivocally condemned.”

The mayor of Torrance, California, condemned the shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday night, saying the alleged gunman’s actions do not reflect the values of the Los Angeles suburb, CNN reported.

Cole Tomas Allen, the man suspected of firing shots outside the ballroom of the Washington Hilton, where US President Donald Trump was holding the annual dinner of White House correspondents on Saturday, was reportedly “armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives.”

Police reportedly visited the home of White House Correspondents' Dinner shooting suspect Cole Allen after a journalist was seen knocking on the door of a house at an address connected to Cole Allen.

Cole Allen, a 31-year-old from California, was identified as the suspect of the White House Correspondents' Dinner shooting incident. The armed shooter was subdued by Secret Service agents moments after he opened fire at the event.

Who is the suspect? Authorities identified the suspect as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, a California native, sources told CNN. Police Chief Jeffery Carroll was quoted as saying that the attacker appeared to be “a lone actor” and is believed to have stayed at the Washington Hilton, where the dinner took place.

A suspected gunman is in custody after storming a security checkpoint at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, CNN reported.

President Donald Trump was unharmed and other top White House officials were evacuated from an annual dinner of the White House Correspondents' Association after a man armed with guns and knives stormed the lobby and opened fire.

The shooting suspect was taken into custody and identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press. A motive was not immediately known, and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said charges related to Saturday night’s attack will be filed shortly.

A "sole gunman" rushed through a security checkpoint in the hotel lobby just outside the ballroom where the dinner was taking place around 8:36 pm (0036 GMT), according to authorities.

Trump shared footage on his Truth Social platform which appeared to show the suspect charging at the checkpoint before being swarmed by officers.

"He was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives," Metropolitan Police Department interim chief Jeffery Carroll told reporters. (AFP)

Vice President JD Vance was removed from the room first, while agents initially covered Trump in place before escorting him and first lady Melania Trump from the room. Trump briefly stumbled on the way offstage, before being assisted by his security detail.