Natalie Kitroff
👤 SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
He was armed with knives, a shotgun, and a handgun.
Our colleague Sean McCreesh was there as part of a pool of reporters covering the president, and he witnessed the chaotic scene as it unfolded.
Inside the main ballroom, journalists and other attendees hit the floor to take cover, while Secret Service officers whisked away top Trump officials and their spouses.
About an hour later, back at the White House, Trump addressed reporters, many of whom were attendees at the gala.
He said he had planned to deliver a scathing speech at the event, but now he wanted to emphasize the need for national unity and bipartisan healing.
He also said that the shooting was another reason to build out a larger ballroom in the east wing of the White House, which would have stronger security measures built in.
The authorities have identified the suspect in the attack as Cole Thomas Allen, a 31-year-old from California.
In a note that law enforcement attributed to the suspect, he said he was targeting administration officials and he conveyed deep anger at the president without mentioning him by name.
He's set to be arraigned in federal court on Monday.
Today's episode was produced by Mary Wilson, Nina Feldman, Stella Tan, and Michael Simon Johnson.
It was edited by Michael Benoit and Patricia Willans and contains music by Marion Lozano, Pat McCusker, and Dan Powell.
This episode was engineered by Chris Wood.
From The New York Times, I'm Natalie Kitroff.
About a year into Trump's global trade war, China hasn't just survived.
It's emerged stronger than ever on the world stage.