WASHINGTON DC, Apr 28 – The White House will hold a meeting to review US President Donald Trump’s security in the wake of Saturday’s shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, a senior official has confirmed to the BBC.
Trump has stood by the Secret Service, which has come under scrutiny after an armed suspect, 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, was able to get near a ballroom with more than 2,000 people, including Trump and cabinet members.
Officers subdued Allen, but not before a federal agent was wounded during a brief exchange of gunfire.
Trump is expected to attend several high-profile events this year, including for the Fifa World Cup and events celebrating the 250th anniversary of the US in July.
In a statement sent to the BBC, a senior White House official said that President Trump “personally thinks they [the Secret Service] did an excellent job” neutralising the suspect and escorting him and his team to safety. The agent was wearing a bullet-proof vest and is expected to fully recover.
Despite that confidence, the official added that White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles will hold a meeting early this week with operations staff and representatives of the Secret Service and Department of Homeland Security to “discuss protocol and practices” for major events involving the president after this incident – which is the third suspected assassination attempt on Trump within two years.
“The meeting will discuss the processes and procedures that worked to stop Saturday’s attempt, while exploring additional options to ensure all relevant components are doing everything possible to secure the many major events planned for President Trump in the months ahead,” the official added.
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Monday, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also defended the actions of the Secret Service, saying “they did their jobs” stopping the suspect from entering the ballroom and escorting Trump and other officials to safety.
But she added that changes to security procedures were possible. Any changes would not be publicised, to avoid prospective attackers learning what they are and finding ways around them.
Leavitt said the president’s attendance at events would be examined, but he did not want acts of violence to “change our American way of life”.
“There’s many exciting events I know the President wants to be a part of and will be a part of moving forward,” she said. “He’s undeterred in that way.”
Separately, US Senate President Pro Tempore Chuck Grassley held a briefing with the Secret Service’s leadership to discuss the incident and security protocols.
Following the briefing, Grassley told reporters that the Secret Service had a “good plan” and understood the “time-tested” venue.
He also told reporters he saw “no indication” that there was a lapse in security ahead of the incident.
Grassley, 92, is third in the line of succession after Trump, Vice-President JD Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson – all of whom were at the correspondents’ dinner. He also heads the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Six of the top seven officials in the presidential line of succession were at the event, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.
