White House News Briefing
BBC News
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A White House official says Donald Trump is "standing by the leadership" of the Secret Service after the shooting at a Washington DC hotel on Saturday
They add that the US president thinks his agents "did an excellent job neutralising the shooter", and a meeting will be held to review security protocol
FBI Director Kash Patel says the bureau will be ready for Trump to attend a rescheduled correspondents' dinner in the next 30 days – no official plans are being made yet
In an interview after the shooting, Trump says: "I wasn't worried. I understand life. We live in a crazy world"
Cole Tomas Allen, 31, from California, was arrested after apparently opening fire near a security checkpoint in the hotel foyer – the dinner was being held a floor below
Allen, who describes himself as a "game developer and teacher", will be appearing in court today – here's what we know about him
Edited by Oliver O'Connell and Brandon Livesay
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is about to speak at a press briefing.
We've just heard the two-minute warning that it is about to begin.
We'll bring you all the major updates here, and you can also watch live at the top of this page.
Charlie Kirk was killed at an event in Utah in September
Although the motive of the alleged gunman is not yet clear, there have been numerous cases of violence directed at other US political figures in recent years.
Tara Mewawalla
Live reporter
Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr is evacuated by law enforcement officers
Following Saturday night's incident, some social media users have been commenting on how security arrangements differ between US cabinet members and their partners or spouses.
One video circulating on X, for instance, shows US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr being rushed out of the room by his security detail, with his wife, Cheryl Hines, following the huddle from behind.
Former Secret Service agent Barry Donadio tells me that each government department has its own separate security details to protect the secretaries – and these usually do not extend to that person's partner.
They are also separate from the Secret Service. The highest profile politicians, including president and vice-president, are allocated Secret Service detail for themselves and their partners and immediate family.
For example, he says the security detail for secretaries of the treasury or the defence department will include special agents whose job it is to protect that one person, "not his cousins, not his brother, not his son… [not his] wife".
"It's a nice caveat [that] if they are together, you're going to do your best to protect them", but "there's a line drawn at a certain point", he says, adding that it is about "priority" during "chaos".
"They all kind of do the same thing but that’s why you see separate people going with separate guys," Donadio says, explaining why different politicians were led off the Washington Hilton hotel ballroom stage at different times.
Despite suggestion from US President Donald Trump and FBI Director Kash Patel that another White House Correspondents' Dinner could soon take place, there has been no official confirmation of this.
Earlier, Patel suggested the rescheduled dinner could take place in the next 30 days, while Trump said he hoped another event could take place soon.
However, with the months of planning that went into Saturday's event, Patel's 30-day timeline might be out of reach – especially with the added security concerns.
First Lady Melania Trump is criticising late-night presenter Jimmy Kimmel for a joke he made about her a few days before the White House Correspondents' Dinner.
On Thursday, Kimmel parodied the upcoming dinner in a segment on his ABC show, joking that Melania had "the glow of an expectant widow".
Kimmel couldn't have known at the time that the event would be targeted by a gunman, but the first lady took issue with the tone of Kimmel's joke.
"Kimmel’s hateful and violent rhetoric is intended to divide our country," she writes on X.
"His monologue about my family isn’t comedy – his words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America."
She also appears to suggest that Kimmel's show should be taken off the air, writing that Kimmel "shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate".
"Enough is enough," she continues. "It is time for ABC to take a stand. How many times will ABC’s leadership enable Kimmel’s atrocious behavior at the expense of our community."
Kimmel faced similar criticism from the Trump administration last year when he made a comment about how the administration handled the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk.
Following the backlash, his show was briefly taken off the air, but then reinstated.
The Washington Hilton hotel, the venue for the White House Correspondents' Dinner, says its security protocols had been directed by the US Secret Service.
“The hotel was operating under stringent security protocols for the property as directed by the US Secret Service, which led security for the event," says the hotel in a statement, reported by Reuters news agency.
The hotel adds that the Secret Service worked in coordination with a wide range of security teams, including local Washington DC police and hotel security.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been speaking to Fox News.
In clips reposted on X by the official White House Rapid Response account, Rubio says: "I didn't hear shots I just saw a bunch of security people rushing in."
"The first thing you wonder immediately is… is there an internal threat, is there a threat inside the ballroom itself?"
He says he watched the staff follow "all the security protocols".
"It was sort of an unfortunate situation that happened there, where one individual can disrupt what is one of the bigger nights in Washington, especially when the president attends.
"That's kind of the world we live in right now."
FBI Director Kash Patel says "we're going to be so ready" for Donald Trump to attend the correspondents' dinner in the next 30 days.
He tells Fox News: "The security posture, I imagine, is going to be completely different.
"I'll be working with the White House, with the Department of Homeland Security, the Secret Service, the Metropolitan Police Department. The FBI will be fully resourced for that event."
Speaking about the FBI's work after the shooting, Patel says that the bureau has conducted interviews "literally across the country" and transported evidence to be analysed quickly.
He adds that the FBI's Behavioural Analysis Unit is working to create a profile from "emails, social media postings, witness interviews" and interviews with friends, family and neighbours to create a "complete picture of this individual's mindset and intent".
US officials identified Cole Tomas Allen, 31, as the suspect in Saturday night's shooting.
Allen, from Torrance, California, describes himself as a mechanical engineer, game developer and teacher on his LinkedIn. He graduated from California State University in 2025 with a Master’s in computer science.
After he was detained, Allen told officials that he wanted to shoot officials in the Trump administration, two sources told CBS News, the BBC's US partner.
US media are reporting a history of anti-Trump posts from the alleged shooter. A document, described as a manifesto, has also been linked to an X account with Allen’s name as a username. A post in November 2024 said the user had voted for Kamala Harris.
An account with the same name on the social network Bluesky wrote in January: "The country will continue to crash and burn until people stop asking when other people will step up."
Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu
Reporting from federal court in Washington
Journalists gather outside the federal courthouse in Washington DC
I am at the federal courthouse here in Washington DC.
Cole Tomas Allen, the 31-year-old suspect in the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting, is expected to hear the formal charges against him read out shortly.
Today's hearing is usually a fairly procedural part of the court process.
But today we could hear from Allen himself or his attorney about his plea to the charges. While we've been learning about the suspect, we still haven't seen or heard from him since images of him were released on Saturday.
We could also learn new details about what the prosecutors plan.
On Saturday night, Jeanine Pirro the US Attorney for the District of Columbia said Allen would be charged with using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon. She also said that more charges could be announced based on the investigation.
Bernd Debusmann Jr
White House reporter
I've just arrived at the White House – and there's a strange feeling in the air here.
The last time I saw most of my colleagues in the White House press corps – many of whom have become close friends – was in the chaotic moments after shots were fired on Saturday, or in brief encounters during the mass exodus from the Hilton.
As would be the case on a "normal" day, everyone is working. Reporters are doing lives along the driveway outside, prepping equipment or hunched over their laptops, fingers clacking at keyboards.
But the atmosphere is very different. People here are asking each other how they are doing, or recounting how their Saturdays panned out.
"That was a weird night," one reporter told me while passing through security. The last time I saw him, he was crouching behind a chair a few tables away from me, phone up to film cabinet members leaving the building.
Most worked. Some sprinted to the White House or to bureaus once they got out of the hotel. Multiple people I've spoken to recalled discarding uncomfortable dinner shoes to move faster.
Mostly, everyone just seems tired.
It is, however, something of a busy day. In addition to King Charles's arrival later today, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has announced a previously unscheduled briefing at 13:00 EST (18:00 BST).Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu
Live reporter in Washington DC
US President Donald Trump and Weijia Jiang, right, president of the White House Correspondents’ Association
The White House Correspondents’ Association hosts the annual dinner, with the aim of promoting a free press and raising scholarship funds for journalism students.
The inaugural dinner was in May 1921, but it wasn't until 1924 that Calvin Coolidge became the first US president to attend the event.
Since then, it has become a somewhat established tradition here in Washington as a time for the usually adversarial press corps to relax, poke fun at politicians, and also be made fun of.
This year's dinner was Trump's debut appearance as president. He didn't attend any of the dinners during his first presidency but he previously attended some dinners as a private citizen.
He was the butt of jokes at the dinner for many years even before he became president. Comedians have made impressions of him and President Barack Obama famously referenced his birth certificate at the 2011 dinner to help quell the "birther" conspiracy theory that he wasn't born in the US – a false narrative championed prominently by Trump.
As president, Trump has had a complex relationship with the White House press corps, and he has launched legal action against some outlets. His attendance at this year's dinner was bound to be a landmark moment.
But before Trump could speak, shots were fired at the hotel hosting the event, leading to him and his senior cabinet officials being whisked away by the Secret Service.
Plans are in place to reschedule the dinner in the next 30 days.
President Obama at the 2015 dinner and his 'anger translator' portrayed by comedian Keegan-Michael Key
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has just announced she will hold a news conference at 13:00 ET (18:00 BST).
We'll be following along for any updates on the ongoing investigation into the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner.
Donald Trump has said King Charles will "be very safe" during his state visit to the US, which is due to begin later on Monday.
Further security talks took place between the White House and Buckingham Palace after the shooting in Washington DC on Saturday.
Asked about the security implications for the royal visit, the US president told CBS' 60 Minutes on Sunday that the grounds of the White House, where King Charles will visit, are "really safe".
The King and Queen privately reached out to the Trumps to give their sympathies after the attack, during which a Secret Service agent was lightly injured and the president and his wife were rushed to safety.
The four-day state visit will begin in Washington DC, with the King and Queen being greeted at the White House by Trump and the First Lady Melania Trump.
Read more about the state visit in our news story.
Saturday's shooting took place at the Washington Hilton hotel in Washington DC.
The dinner was held in a ballroom situated in the basement.
As a reminder, the gunman opened fire near a security checkpoint at the venue.
He was tackled by agents just short of a staircase which leads down to the ballroom.
There's more on what we know so far in our explainer.
It's now over 36 hours since the shooting at the Washington Hilton – and FBI agents will be gathering as much evidence as possible, a former FBI agent tells the BBC.
Jason Pack says they'll be gathering "digital evidence" from Cole Tomas Allen's home, like any laptops or phones, as well as talking to neighbours. Another task is tracking the suspect's movements.
At the same time, FBI teams will be piecing together the evidence in Washington, where the shooting happened, Pack says.
He also says the Secret Service will likely be looking at security plans.
"I was at the event three years ago and there was a lot of security, but in talking to people who were there Saturday – they didn't seem like there was as much," Peck says. "So I think they'll take a look at those plans and make some of those tweaks."Bernd Debusmann Jr
White House reporter
President Trump is evacuated by the Secret Service during the incident
I've just received word from a senior White House official telling me that President Trump is "standing by" the leadership of the Secret Service in the wake of the shooting at the White House Correspdondent's Dinner.
While the official noted that the president believes the Secret Service did an "excellent job" protecting him and other officials, Chief of Staff Susie Wiles will convene a meeting this week to "discuss protocol and practices for major events".
"The meeting will discuss the processes and procedures that worked to stop Saturday’s attempt, while exploring additional options to ensure all relevant components are doing everything possible to secure the many major events planned for President Trump in the months ahead as he gears up to celebrate America 250th," the official added.
Many questions have been raised by the shooting, and many of those who attended have questioned whether the perimeter was secure enough.
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Moment Trump rushed from White House Correspondents' Dinner after gunshots heard
If you're just joining us, there's a busy day ahead as the suspect in Saturday night's shooting is due to appear in court. Here's what you need to know to get up to speed:
What happened?
At 20:35 local time (00:35 GMT, 01:35 BST), shots were heard at the Washington Hilton hotel, where Donald Trump was attending a dinner. Read what happened, and how quickly, here.
Today, we've heard from security specialists about how the Secret Service responded to the shooter – and we've spoken to more attendees.
Why were so many journalists there?
Guests were attending the White House Correspondents' Dinner, an event which attracts top government officials and celebrities to raise money for journalism scholarships across the US.
It's therefore widely attended by members of the press – many of whom immediately started reporting.
What's happening today?
The suspect, 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, was arrested at the scene and is due to be formally charged today with assault of a federal officer and using a firearm during a violent crime. US Attorney General Todd Blanche said further federal indictments will be coming later.
And King Charles's state visit to the US later today will "proceed as planned", with some minor adjustments.
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Man continues eating salad after White House Correspondents' Dinner shooting
Most attendees at the White House Correspondents' Dinner ducked for cover while the shooting played out – but there was one notable exception.
One man, identified as an agent at Creative Artists Agency, Michael Glantz, was seen calmly eating his salad while those around him reacted to the scene unfolding in front of them.
“I’m a New Yorker,” he told the New York Times, external. “We live with sirens and activity happening all the time. I wasn’t scared. There are hundreds of Secret Service agents hurtling themselves over tables and chairs, and I wanted to watch.”
He told the New York Times that he also has a bad back, and "there was no freaking way I was getting in my new tux on the dirty Hilton floor".
Other videos have emerged from the dinner of attendees filling up on wine, and some taking entire bottles with them after being allowed to leave.
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