Donald Trump reacts to the shots fired at the White House Correspondents Dinner: He was a crazy lone wolf

He estimated that the assailant, whose identity was not immediately disclosed, was a “lone wolf” and a “crazy person.”

The presumed shooter will appear in court on Monday, announced American authorities at a press conference.

He will be charged with two counts: the first for using a firearm during a violent crime and the second for assaulting a federal agent with a dangerous weapon, said the capital’s prosecutor, Jeanine Pirro.

Washington police reported that, based on preliminary information, the suspect had reserved a room in the hotel.

“Many weapons”

Shortly before his press conference, Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social network images from security cameras showing a person rushing through the metal detector checkpoint at the entrance of the gala venue, as well as several law enforcement officers drawing their weapons.

“In a way, it was very beautiful, really a very beautiful thing to see a man charging at a security checkpoint armed with several weapons, and he was neutralized by some very brave members of the Secret Service who acted very quickly,” stated the American president, referring to the security service.

According to the police, the assailant was carrying two firearms and many knives. He was not shot during his arrest.

Shots fired at the Washington correspondents’ dinner: what do we know about the presumed shooter?

The Washington Hilton hotel, where the aborted dinner took place, was not “a particularly secure building,” criticized Donald Trump.

However, he acknowledged that the security system “was very secure,” noting that the shooter was stopped before entering the large reception hall where he was located.

It was outside this hotel that President Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981 during an assassination attempt.

“Those who have the most impact” are targeted

U.S. President Donald Trump, referencing the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, suggested on Saturday night that the assailant who intruded at the gala he was attending in Washington may have targeted him because he was unhappy with his policies.

“Respectfully, I ask you, why do you think this keeps happening to you?” a journalist asked Mr. Trump after shots were fired at the correspondents’ dinner he was attending on Saturday at the Hilton Hotel in Washington.

Mr. Trump had a prepared answer regarding his place in the pantheon of U.S. presidents. “Well, you know, I have studied the assassinations,” stated the septuagenarian. “And I must tell you that the most striking individuals, those who make the most impact – look at Abraham Lincoln (…), those who have the most impact, those are the ones who are targeted,” he added.

Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, was assassinated in 1865 in his theater box in Washington by a fervent supporter of the “Southerners,” who had just been defeated by the forces of the federal government.

“I hate to say that I am honored, but I have accomplished a lot. We have changed this country, and there are many people who are not happy about that. So I think that’s the answer,” emphasized Mr. Trump, who survived an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in 2024 in the United States.

“I lead a fairly normal life, considering the fact, you know, that it’s a dangerous life,” he said.

Mr. Trump also took a measured tone towards the press, after previously calling it the “enemy of the people,” stating that there was “a lot of love and solidarity” after the shooting.

The U.S. President indicated that he was preparing to deliver “the most inappropriate speech ever given,” but that it would be “very boring” from now on when the dinner is rescheduled.