Trump Explains Why Secret Service Took Him to WH After Shooting

President Donald J. Trump is shedding new light on the tense moments following Saturday night’s attempted attack at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, explaining why he ultimately complied with Secret Service orders to leave the venue despite his initial desire to continue the event.

In an interview with Fox News anchor Jacqui Heinrich, Trump described how he initially resisted the idea of ending the evening early after a gunman—identified as 31-year-old Cole Allen—was stopped by authorities.

“Well, I hated a guy like this, sick, bad person. I hated somebody like that changing the course of our country … where you’d have all of these people, important people, not important people, all of these people gathered, record crowd … but that all of these people would have to leave. It’s just for what? For one nut? For one guy?” Trump said. “That is really, I mean, look … he’s a very disturbed person, so I really wanted to go and I really wanted to, but the protocol was no.”

Trump had initially posted on Truth Social that he planned to return and proceed with the dinner. However, less than 20 minutes later, he reversed course, confirming that law enforcement urged him to return to the White House in accordance with established security procedures.

Heinrich, who was present at the event and appeared on stage with the president, asked whether Trump believed the threat had been fully neutralized at the time.

“I was taken by your response immediately after it happened. You said we’re going to continue the night, we’re not going to let this person derail our plans for the evening,” Heinrich said. “Had you been told very quickly that there was no additional threat in the room? Is that why you felt comfortable proceeding if Secret Service allowed that to happen?”

Trump acknowledged that while the suspect had been stopped, broader concerns about potential additional threats guided the final decision.

“You know, once those doors were open, that room was sealed, and once the doors were open because people were pouring in and there were police and they were Secret Service and they poured in a lot of them, but once those doors are open, it breaks the seal,” Trump explained. “And when they explained it, you know, maybe it’s possible somebody, if it were more than one person, somebody could have come in.”

Ultimately, the president said he deferred to the judgment of the United States Secret Service, which immediately implemented heightened security protocols and evacuated senior officials from the ballroom at the Washington Hilton.

“I really wanted to do it that night, even if we stayed late into the night. But we did the right thing and we came back to the White House, we did a news conference and explained what happened and now we’re doing it a little bit more by talking to you, but we did the right thing,” Trump added.

The president also referenced prior threats during the 2024 campaign, including the July 13 rally in Butler where he was grazed by gunfire, as well as a separate incident in Florida involving an armed suspect near a golf course. Officials say those earlier events contributed to the rapid and forceful response seen Saturday night.

Meanwhile, new details have emerged about the suspect’s background. Public records indicate Allen studied mechanical engineering at the California Institute of Technology, graduating in 2017, and reportedly participated in research at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory during his academic career.

As investigations continue, Trump’s remarks highlight both the gravity of the threat environment and the critical role of security protocols in protecting national leadership—even when it means cutting short a high-profile event.