Donald Trump addressed one of the most talked-about moments from the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner shooting during a press briefing on Saturday night. The US president revealed what initially went through his mind when gunfire erupted at the high-profile event, comparing the sound to something far more mundane than an unfolding security incident.
Donald Trump reveals his initial thoughts on shooting incident
Donald Trump revealed he initially mistook the sound of a gunman charging a security checkpoint at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner for a tray falling, according to The Guardian. The president shared his account during a hastily arranged news conference in the White House briefing room. Secret Service agents had rushed him back by motorcade ahead of other senior cabinet officials who attended the dinner.
“Actually, it was totally shocking to me, and that never changes,” Trump said, appearing to reference the assassination attempt at his Butler, Pennsylvania, rally and a second incident at his Florida golf course during the 2024 campaign. He explained his reaction in further detail at the briefing.
“I heard a noise, and sort of thought it was a tray. I thought it was a tray going down many times. There was a gun, and some people really understood that quite quickly. Other people didn’t. I was watching to see what was happening, probably should have gotten down a little faster,” Trump said.
The president noted that his wife reacted differently to the situation. “Melania was very cognizant, I think, of what happened. I think she knew immediately. She was saying, ‘it’s a bad noise,'” Trump said.
Trump described the gunman as a lone wolf from California with no known accomplices. “He was a sick person, a very sick person. He was running full blast, and they got him before he got any further. I was very far away, he wasn’t anywhere close to breaching the doors of the ballroom. My impression is he was a lone wolf wack job,” Trump said.
The gunman fired at a Secret Service agent, who survived because of his bulletproof vest, with law enforcement reportedly heading to the suspect’s apartment.
Originally reported by Vritti Johar on Mandatory.com.
