Third gunman incident raises Trump security fears

The White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, usually a time for laughs, brought a near-tragedy this weekend when a gunman got uncomfortably close to President Donald Trump. And it begged the question: How does this keep happening?

CNN reported that White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles is convening a top-level meeting Monday with leaders of the Secret Service, Department of Homeland Security and more to tighten security protocols around the president.

This weekend marked the third assassination attempt aimed at Trump where a gunman either got off shots near the most powerful man in the world or came very close to opening fire nearby.

New: White House chief of staff Susie Wiles will convene a meeting early this week with the White House operations team, US Secret Service, and leadership at the Department of Homeland Security to discuss security protocol and best practices for major events involving President…

— Alayna Treene (@alaynatreene) April 27, 2026

While the White House is bringing together key players to get answers and make security plans for future presidential outings, a CNN reporter said the administration does not blame any failings for the incident this weekend.

"The official made clear that the president and the White House “are standing by the leadership of Secret Service, and President Trump has said he personally thinks they did an excellent job neutralizing the shooter and moving the President, First Lady, Vice President and cabinet to safety,” echoing Trump’s comments during an interview with CBS News’ “60 Minutes” on Sunday," CNN's Alayna Treene wrote.

"Several questions remain following the shooting on Saturday regarding whether proper security measures were taken, specifically on how the suspected gunman was able to breach the magnetometers on the level above the ballroom where the dinner was held."

The New York Times reported the "outburst of violence is sure to revive questions about the scourge of political violence afflicting the United States, and about whether there is enough security around Mr. Trump, one of the most targeted presidents in history."

“It’s a dangerous profession,” Trump said afterward at the White House, although he was quick to add that facing multiple attempts on his life has not made him a "basket case."

He even joked about it with reporters immediately after the harrowing incident, saying, "“Nobody told me this was such a dangerous profession."

The motive of alleged gunman Cole Tomas Allen remains unknown, though we do know he managed to fire several shots before the Secret Service brought him down.

The fact that he came so close to killing Trump -- again -- left questions about the acuity of the Secret Service and security protocols overall around Trump. For instance, the BBC reported that their reporter attending the event got inside the hotel with "The man on the door outside (giving) only took a cursory look at my ticket from what must have been six feet away," he wrote.

He added, "Tickets to the dinner only had table numbers written on them and not the actual names of guests. Identification was not checked at any point for those entering the hotel. Guests making their way to the dinner went down escalators from the main lobbies, before going through a security checkpoint in an area one."

For his part, Trump offered no immediate criticism of security, and called for unity. “In light of this evening’s events, I ask that all Americans recommit with their hearts to resolving our differences peacefully,” Trump said.

The acting attorney general underscored that, praising security for doing the right thing, even though an armed man managed to get inside the hotel with the president and many high-level government leaders. Allen had a shotgun, handgun and multiple knives, authorities said

Allen appeared to get inside simply by booking a room at the Washington Hilton, which continued to operate as normal during the event.

“You saw the very worst by the actions of that coward, that coward that the president just talked about. But you also saw the very best, because you saw law enforcement do exactly what they’re supposed to do,” he said. In the videos of the incident, he added, “you’ll see law enforcement do exactly what we want them to do," Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general, said.

Allen is expected to be arraigned in federal court on Monday. He faces charges including use of a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon.