Tuesday, April 28, 2026, episode of the podcast The Excerpt: The White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on Saturday marked the third time since the summer of 2024 that a gunman was able to get dangerously close to current President Donald Trump. Was it because of security? And what was the culprit’s motive? USA TODAY Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page joins The Excerpt to share personal experiences and insights.
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Dana Taylor:
The settings were the same as always. An elegant ballroom in the basement of the Washington Hilton. The president, vice president and other dignitaries gathered together with about 2,500 guests to celebrate free speech. But instead of an easy gathering, fear and chaos prevailed.
At Saturday’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner, it was the third time since the summer of 2024 that a gunman was able to get dangerously close to current President Donald Trump, and security personnel were to blame, but what was the gunman’s motive?
Hello. Welcome to this excerpt from USA TODAY. I’m Dana Taylor. Today is Tuesday, April 28, 2026. USA TODAY Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page joins us to share some insight and background on what happened Saturday night. Susan, it’s always nice to see you.
Susan Page:
Hey Danna, nice to have you with us again.
Dana Taylor:
Susan, you were in the banquet hall with the president. First of all, could you briefly explain what happened?
Susan Page:
Yeah. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been to this dinner. Dozens of times. And it always follows a kind of template. So people took their seats. I had a color presentation. A Marine singer led us in the national anthem.
As we sat down and people started eating their salad courses, we heard gunshots. It sounded like it was outside in the hallway, past the door. As a result, the level was raised, but it sounded really loud. There was a loud crashing sound.
Then there was a cry of “Get off!” “Get under the table!” And many did. I was at one of the USA TODAY tables. One of our guests was Chairman Mike Johnson. He just excused himself to go to the bathroom, but his wife was still sitting there.
She and the others around the table crawled under the table to protect themselves from what it was, but they had no idea what it was. And she led the prayers. And as we were trying to understand what was going on and whether we were in fact in a very dangerous situation, I thought to myself that maybe in that moment there were a lot of prayers going up, loud or silent.
A large number of security guards rush into the banquet hall. Among other things, Chairman Johnson’s security personnel returned and retrieved his wife, and she left. We saw ministers being taken away. And of course, President Trump and Vice President Vance, who were at the head table, are being rushed to a safer location.
Dana Taylor:
Aunt Susan, I want to ask you, what were you thinking at that moment?
Susan Page:
“What is going on?” I thought. And, as is often the case, early reports were completely wrong. First, rumors spread that the waiter had simply dropped the tray. That was a mistake. There were other initial reports that there was a gunman, but he was killed. That turned out to be a mistake.
So you follow your reporter’s instincts and wait until some authority can reveal what was really going on.
Dana, another thing that crossed my mind is all of the kids, myself included, who have gone through active shooter drills in school, where they would hide under tables, hide under desks, hide in closets, things like that. And, of course, thousands of American schoolchildren have actually experienced mass shootings. It has become almost common in schools and shopping malls. And I thought, “How much scarier would that be for the kids than it was for the adults in the ballroom?”
Dana Taylor:
Since 1921, there have been more than 100 such banquets, usually attended by the president. Has there ever been an act of violence? How unusual was this?
Susan Page:
I went to 45 of those dinners. Since 1980, I’ve been going there for dinner every time, but due to Corona, I skipped it for two years. So, I have long experience with White House correspondence banquets, and I’ve never had anything like this. Every once in a while someone would scream in protest. One protester got on board and had to be escorted out, but it was nothing like what happened Saturday night, nothing even close.
Dana Taylor:
You planned these dinners while serving as president of the White House Correspondence Association. What does a security plan involve?
Susan Page:
That’s correct. In 2000 I served as President of the Communications Association. President Clinton attended the dinner. Security is quite strict. This is no doubt part of the preparation for the dinner party, but of course the Secret Service is no stranger to the Washington Hilton Ballroom. This is because so many events are held there, including this one.
But there are all sorts of plans being made about where to put security, where to put magnetometers, what kind of tests people will have to undergo. There is usually a pre-reception for VIPs. If the President is present, additional vetting will take place.
So this is very customary wherever the president goes. And that was certainly the case with this dinner. In hindsight, it seems like security at this dinner party wasn’t all that tight.
Dana Taylor:
So perhaps we’re hearing that there was a fundamental flaw in the hotel’s security perimeter?
Susan Page:
So I think there are some criticisms. One is that it wasn’t difficult to get down to where the magnetometer was. There was very, very lax vetting. There were no strict criteria and you had to show that you had a ticket or an invitation to the reception. No ID checks were done, not even at the magnetometer point.
Since it is a hotel, there are also security issues. It’s an actual hotel with people staying there who aren’t involved in the dinner. And that’s part of what makes the movement feel a little confusing. We believe that the alleged gunman himself may have actually been staying at the hotel and may have given him some special access.
Dana Taylor:
Now, let’s take a look at the suspected shooter, Cole Thomas Allen, who was indicted in federal court on Monday, charged with attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump, along with two federal gun crimes. What do we know about him and his motives?
Susan Page:
Now, we know he left a manifesto complaining about Trump and the Trump administration and outlining his concerns about empowering rapists and pedophiles. President Trump has vigorously denied these charges and was furious when they were raised in an interview with 60 Minutes’ Norah O’Donnell. So we know he was upset about that.
We know his family was worried about his mental state and what he was going to do. And I think one of his relatives, maybe his brother, actually called the local police in Connecticut and expressed concern. So, while there are some signs of trouble for this alleged gunman, there’s so much we don’t know, and there’s still so much to unravel about what he was doing and why he was doing it.
Dana Taylor:
The president claims the incident strengthens his argument that construction of the White House banquet hall should proceed. Construction was recently put on hold by a judge after a judge ruled that the project required council approval. Let’s listen.
Donald Trump:
I hate to say this, but that’s why we have to have all the characteristics of what we’re planning in the White House. It’s actually a bigger room and safer. It’s bulletproof glass that can withstand drones. I need a banquet hall. That’s the Secret Service, that’s why the military requires it.
Dana Taylor:
Susan, what do you think about this?
Susan Page:
It should be made clear that the White House Correspondence Dinner and Banquet, hosted by a nonprofit organization of journalists who cover the White House, will never be held in the White House Ballroom. Even if the ballroom were open, the ballroom would not be considered an appropriate venue for this event.
Now, it is true that President Trump claims that banquet halls have a security element. And it’s not really about the ballroom. It’s really about what’s underneath the ballroom.
And there has long been a secret but not-so-secret underground bunker under the East Wing that served as the president’s emergency operations center in the event of a catastrophe, a fortified place where the president could go and communicate with the administration if, for example, there was trouble in the West Wing.
That was one of his arguments. That’s the argument he has made in court regarding the construction of the ballroom. But again, the size of the ballroom doesn’t really affect that part.
He also claimed the planned banquet hall would have reinforced windows and a reinforced ceiling, making it a safer place. And let’s see if the court finds it persuasive. The court is not saying you can’t build a banquet hall. They’re saying, “We need to talk to Congress before we move forward.”
Dana Taylor:
Susan, you’ve covered a lot of presidents. While every president has to contend with a hostile press to some extent, President Trump’s relationship with the media is perhaps more contentious than any other president’s.
This was supposed to be the first pen pal dinner that President Trump ever met. Was this an opportunity for the president to improve his relationship with the media? Do you think he will be able to return to Dais if the event is postponed, as he has said he would like to do?
Susan Page:
He says he’d like to see it happen, but it’s not 100% clear if it will happen. I hope he comes back and we can talk once the dinner plans change. I was looking forward to hearing him speak, but he himself has stated that he had no intention of giving a conciliatory speech.
He intended to air his dissatisfaction with the media coverage he received far and wide. He claims it’s unfair. He accused the press of being the enemy of the people. He suggests that reporters are not being patriotic when they ask questions about him and his administration.
I don’t think it can be healed, changed, or fixed by speech alone. It is the result of daily interactions between the president and the reporters covering him. And you’re right, it’s a pretty toxic stew at this point.
Dana Taylor:
Ten or twenty years from now, when the history books are written about this event, how do you think this dinner will be remembered?
Susan Page:
Here, the dinner became another example of the growing violence in American politics and American life. There was violence in American politics. In the past, you may remember Jerry Ford, the most hilarious president, who had two assassination attempts in 17 days, and we have all assassinated presidents.
This is not new, but the pace of violence has certainly accelerated. Being the spouse of a U.S. president, a Congressional leader, a Minnesota congressman, and a former Speaker of the House of Representatives has become a more dangerous profession. All the examples of violence are there.
And as we look back on this dinner, what I hope we’ll see in 10 or 20 years, is that this marked an important point where that kind of violence starts to decline. But I don’t know if that will actually happen.
Dana Taylor:
Susan Page is USA TODAY’s Washington bureau chief. Susan, thank you so much for speaking with us about this evolving story. thank you.
Susan Page:
thank you.
Dana Taylor:
We would like to thank Senior Producer Kaely Monahan for her production assistance. Executive producer is Laura Beatty. Let us know what you think about this episode by sending a note to podcasts@usatoday.com. Thank you for your attention. I’m Dana Taylor. Tomorrow morning, we’ll be back with another episode of USA TODAY Excerpts.
