The president of the United States, Donald Trump, along with the first lady, Melania Trump, and his Cabinet were evacuated this Saturday from a dinner organized by the White House Correspondents’ Association following a failed assault attempt with firearms neutralized by the US Secret Service.
“A lone wolf” 31 years old and Californian
The authorities have arrested the suspect, a 31-year-old Californian, whom the Republican leader has called a “lone wolf” and a “person with serious problems” in a press conference after what happened.
Hours later, Trump himself shared images through his social networks where the suspect can be seen in custody shortly after being neutralized. According to authorities, the attacker had several weapons and acted alone.
Moments after the evacuation, the president wanted to make light of the matter with a press conference at the White House in which he thanked the “fantastic work” of his Administration’s secret service.
For its part, the intelligence service has highlighted the “bravery” of its members, especially that of an officer shot by the attacker who is currently out of danger having been wearing a bulletproof vest.
“Today we have seen the worst and the best of this country”
“It is not easy, and I can tell you that they have acted admirably. We have been able to see what they do. And that person, when he rushed into a checkpoint, was detained. This shows that our multi-level protection system works. And I am grateful to our partners who help us build and protect these facilities,” emphasized a statement published online by the Secret Service.
“Today we have seen the worst and the best of this country,” said the Attorney General of the United States, Todd Blanche, at the beginning of the clarifying press conference.
“More will be known in the coming days, even in the next few hours”
Journalists gathered in the White House press room asked the president about the “motive” that led the attacker to enter armed, to which Trump responded that “he has a dangerous job” and these things happen to “high-impact people.” Finally, he assured that “more will be known in the coming days, even in the next few hours.”
The president also thanked the work of the Secret Service, which he described as “very fast” and “very efficient.” “I thought the performance of the Secret Service and the entire police was very good. It was all very fast, there wasn’t much time to think, because it was only seconds before we walked out the door to a safe area,” Trump said.
In the same way, the American president wanted to take the issue down and hopes to be able to hold the White House Correspondents’ Dinner again “in the next 30 days.” The tenant of the White House has assured that “they will make a decision shortly” and has clarified that, “regardless of the decision, the night will be very different from what was planned.” “We will simply have to repeat it,” he concluded.
The correspondents’ evening was interrupted after a noise of unidentified origin was heard inside the venue, which caused an immediate reaction from the organization of the event and the president’s security personnel. Immediately afterwards, attendees were asked to leave the place, amidst applause that accompanied the exit.
Some of those present, such as CNN correspondent Kaitlan Collins, have revealed that they have been forced to remain hidden under their tables for several minutes as a precaution.
