'Heard A Pretty Loud Noise, Thought It Was A Tray Falling': Trump Narrates His First Reaction To Hearing Gunshots At Gala Dinner
US President Donald Trump has narrated his first reaction to hearing the gunshots at the high-profile White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) dinner at the Washington Hilton hotel, where he escaped suspected assassination attempt on Saturday.
- World News
- 3 min read
Washington DC: US President Donald Trump has narrated his first reaction to hearing the gunshots at the high-profile White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) dinner at the Washington Hilton hotel, where he escaped suspected assassination attempt on Saturday.
Speaking at a hastily-arranged press conference at the White House, Trump said that he was sitting with his wife Melania Trump at the head table when he heard a "noise". “[I] sort of thought it was a tray. I thought it was a tray going down.” “I've heard that many times. And it was pretty loud noise. And it was from quite far away,” he added.
“The First Lady and I were taken very well care of, very quickly…very quickly rushed off the stage. Vice President J.D. Vance…was likewise beautifully done…He was just saying how quickly everybody acted. Law enforcement, Secret Service, in particular, in this case,” Trump added.
‘Honoured’ To Be Targeted
Comparing himself to former US President Abraham Lincoln, Trump said he has studied assassinations, and people only target the “most impactful people".
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“I mean, you go through the people that have gone through this, where they got them. But the people that do the most, the people that make the biggest impact, they're the ones that they go after. They don't go after the ones that don't do much because they like it that way. And when you look at the people that have either, whether it was an attempt or a successful attempt, they're very impactful people,” Trump added.
“Just take a look at the names here, the big names. And I hate to say I'm honoured by that, but I've done a lot,” he said further.
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‘No Country Is Immune’
Trump further stated that was there have been numerous assassinations of political figures all over the world. “You look at South America and South America, it's like some of the numbers are just horrific. It's dangerous. It's dangerous stuff, whether it's here or someplace else. No country is immune, no country,” he added.
Chaos At Gala Dinner
Shortly after the dinner began, a shooter tore through the security and opened fire. As the shots rang, Secret Service agents swiftly surrounded Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, who were seated at the front of the ballroom.
During the rapid evacuation, a panicked Trump tripped and momentarily fell down while being rushed off the stage. As many as six security agents were seen helping the President up from the ground and rushing him to a secure location.
Video from inside the ballroom captured at least five loud bangs before armed officers rushed in and escorted the president and others to safety. "Get down!" and "Stay down!" screams echoed throughout the room as guests, including high-ranking officials and journalists, ducked to avoid the bullets. Several were seen taking cover under tables to protect themselves.
‘Sick Person’
Trump called the shooter a “very sick person”. “My impression is he was a lone wolf. Whack job. These are crazy people. These are crazy people. And they have to be dealt with,” he added.
The shooter has been identified as Cole Tomas Allen, a part-time teacher and a self-employed game developer.
An unverified LinkedIn profile in the name of Cole Allen described him as a “mechanical engineer and computer scientist by degree, independent game developer by experience, teacher by birth.”
According to the profile, Cole Allen is said to have a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology, and a master's degree in Computer Science from California State University.