Trump responds to correspondents' dinner shooting — Special Report

[0:02] This is a CBS News special report. I'm Carissa Lawson. [0:05] President Trump will speak soon from the White House after shots were fired at the White House [0:11] Correspondents' Dinner. The president, vice president, and members of the cabinet were all [0:16] rushed out of the room and are safe. The suspected shooter is in custody. Let's bring in White House [0:22] producer and reporter Olivia Rinaldi right now to tell us exactly what else happened, the chaos [0:29] tonight. Olivia. Carissa, it's good to be with you. This evening, we were inside the ballroom at the [0:36] Washington Hilton. I was seated at the back of the room. We were near the entrance where people [0:42] were funneling in. We had just sat down for dinner, conversation was flowing, and then all of a sudden [0:47] we heard what sounded like three to four successive shots. Originally, it sounded like plates had [0:55] fallen, loud noises. But I was there in Butler. That was gunfire, and we knew it. We jot down, [1:02] got on the ground, got under the tables. Everyone was gathered underneath there. We could also smell [1:07] the gunpowder that was fired. We sat under there, what felt like a lifetime, but was really about 20 [1:13] to 30 seconds, maybe about a minute, until we were able to get up. We heard agents yelling. They were [1:19] going into the kitchen to try to figure out where these shots were coming from, to try to clear [1:25] the area. We know that there were kitchen staff that were in there that were held at gunpoint, [1:31] that held their hands up to signal that they were not a threat as Secret Service was trying to secure [1:36] the area. Then what happened? I saw Steve Scalise, who is the House Majority Leader. He was ushered out. [1:44] Of course, he was the subject of his own assassination attempt back in 2017. He was ushered out, [1:50] as were other members of the Cabinet, including the Defense Secretary, the Energy Secretary, [1:55] the Interior Secretary. Up on the days, we saw the President, the First Lady, his press secretary, [2:03] and the Vice President all be ushered out, along with our own Weijia Zhang, who was sitting right [2:07] there. All of them were taken out. After a while, it was just a bit of unsure feeling in that ballroom. [2:16] We weren't sure what actually happened, as everything happened so quickly. Then shortly after, [2:22] the Secret Service told us to leave the area. So some of us started leaving. I left through a galley [2:28] kitchen with other members of the press. Once we were out on the street, we then walked as far as we [2:34] could. Got into an Uber with some of our colleagues who drove by and then tried to make it to our bureau [2:40] in downtown Washington. Nearly every single street that we passed was shut down because President [2:46] Trump was still at that ballroom. And there were questions about whether or not he would continue, [2:51] whether he would go on. On True Social, he wrote, it was quite an evening. D.C. law enforcement and [2:58] Secret Service acted quickly and bravely. He said the shooter was apprehended. He recommended that [3:02] the show go on. But he said that would be entirely guided by law enforcement. Some members of our staff, [3:10] including Ed O'Keefe, as well as other members of the press, waited there in that ballroom. [3:15] Ultimately, though, Secret Service said it is not safe. They got the president back to the White House, [3:20] where the president said that he would be giving a press conference in 30 minutes. That was a true [3:25] social he posted a little bit ago. So you can see right there the press briefing podium. We are [3:31] waiting to hear from the president. Members of his staff are there. I can see them in the press [3:35] briefing room trying to put the presidential seal on the podium, which signifies that the [3:41] president is going to speak. I also want to point out in that press briefing room right there, [3:45] our own Weijia Zhang going right from the White House Correspondents Center to the front row there at [3:51] the press briefing room to talk to the president about what happened tonight. [3:55] That's where we are right now. We are waiting to hear from the president. We have reporting from [3:59] our own Nicole Scanga and Richard Escobedo that one of the rounds that were fired actually hit a [4:06] Secret Service agent in his bulletproof vest. We are told the agent is expected to be okay. [4:12] But this was a significant and scary event tonight at the Washington Hilton, where the president was set [4:20] to address reporters tonight in the White House Correspondents' Dinner. Olivia, you were there. And I also [4:27] want to bring in correspondent Natalie Brand. She was also at the dinner tonight. And Natalie, [4:32] what did you see from your perspective? I was seated at a table right next to Olivia. So we were in the [4:40] back right next to the door where these gunshots could be heard. Boom, boom, boom. At first, [4:46] like Olivia said, it didn't sound like a gunshot, maybe perhaps a platter crashing to the floor, [4:53] plates crashing. My colleagues sitting next to me, Torian Small, realized right away what this was, [5:00] the gravity of the situation. He threw us basically to the floor. We all crawled under tables, [5:07] colleagues huddled together, you know, huddled, hugging, praying, praying that we would all be [5:14] safe. And thankfully, we were inside that room. Then there was some confusion and chaos. Some people [5:21] saying that we should evacuate, others that we should stay. We ended up leaving. This may have had to do [5:28] the president wanting the show to go on, but then noting that it was up to his secret service to [5:34] assess the situation. Obviously, thousands of people were there. We all went through security. [5:42] You know, our purses were checked. We went through the mags like you would at a major event or a campaign [5:49] rally. But the difference is there were just so many people, the volume of people. You know, [5:56] it felt like it didn't take too terribly long to get through security. And obviously, given what's [6:02] happened, you know, this type of situation sadly was on our minds that this could be a possibility. [6:09] Thankfully, we made it out. Were there protesters outside of the building as you were all going [6:16] inside? Natalie? There were. There was a small group of protesters, maybe a dozen or so. [6:22] In past years, it seemed like the, you know, demonstrations have been larger. So it wasn't [6:29] completely out of the ordinary. You know, we were quickly escorted in. Obviously, [6:34] we sensed that security would be extremely tight. There would be a perimeter around the hotel, [6:41] the property, given that the president was going to be in attendance tonight. [6:45] Well, senior White House correspondent Weijang is president of the White House Correspondents [6:53] Association and joins us on the phone. Weijang, you were at the podium at one point. You were in the [7:00] room. Talk about what you saw. [7:02] I was in the room sitting at the head table with President Trump. We were having dinner conversation [7:11] when all of a sudden we saw Secret Service agents approaching the head table and told us to get down, [7:21] get down, get down. I immediately went down, as did President Trump and the First Lady and all of [7:30] our board members. Nobody knew anything about what was happening. And we were escorted off the stage [7:40] and there was a long period of time when nobody knew anything. Obviously, now we have the basic [7:48] information of what happened. And we are waiting for President Trump to come to the podium at the [7:58] White House and the briefing room to talk about what he knows so far, to update the nation about this [8:06] extremely scary event. You guys were just talking about the sheer amount of people that were gathered. [8:13] It's 2,600 people. It was not only the president and first lady, but almost his entire cabinet was there [8:21] along with the vice president. So this is an incredibly high profile room. And we just want to know more [8:30] about what unfolded tonight. The president indicated on his truth social page that he wanted this event [8:37] to continue after this. You would indicate that as well. What transpired in terms of why it did not [8:43] continue? Well, obviously, you know, when something like this happened, Secret Service is immediately in [8:50] action and securing the entire area and looking for potential [8:57] reasons to either stay or go from an event. And it was their decision that the best thing was to [9:09] leave for security reasons. And so I did come to the White House with President Trump and [9:20] we are waiting for him now. Ouija, when you went back up to the podium to say that the event would not [9:28] continue, you were obviously very emotional, very shaken. Talk about what was going through your mind [9:36] at that moment. Well, what was going through my mind is my seven-year-old daughter was there. My husband [9:43] was there. My parents were there. And it just is a huge reality check. And I think, you know, on a night where we all [9:54] came together to celebrate the freedoms in the First Amendment, we also have to think about how fragile they are [10:01] in this country because, you know, shootings and would-be shootings happen every day. And it doesn't matter if it's, you know, [10:11] the White House Correspondent Center or anywhere else in this country. Nobody should have to feel that way. [10:20] Nobody should have to feel scared to be anywhere in a public place. And that is not what this country is about. [10:27] So I think that I was just pretty rattled because we were still waiting for more information and details. [10:40] Talk a little bit more, Weja, about the significance of this dinner for people [10:49] at home who may not, you know, really know why it's so important. [10:56] This dinner is all about acknowledging how vital the First Amendment is to our democracy. [11:03] So every year, the Correspondent Association comes together to do that and honor award winners [11:10] and scholarship recipients who want to be reporters like us. It's also a chance for the press [11:17] and the president to get together in a different context and recognize the important relationships, [11:25] despite how complicated it might be. So that's what we were doing. And unfortunately, [11:35] you know, this traumatic event unfolded. And thank goodness everybody is safe. And that's the most [11:46] important thing out of all of this. Let's talk a little bit, Weja, about the types of security [11:54] concerns leading up to an event like this where you have the president, the vice president, [12:00] so many high profile dignitaries in the room all together at one time. [12:07] Well, this is like any other event that the president of the United States attends. [12:11] Obviously, weeks go into preparing, into making sure that it is going to be a secure area. And there [12:20] is heavy, heavy security to even get into the perimeter of the building, which is why we are still eager [12:27] to learn more information about how this security incident happened. But anywhere you go near the [12:38] hotel for this event, you know, there are Secret Service agents, there are law enforcement agents, [12:47] it is heavily, heavily, you know, filled with people who are there to protect not only the president, [12:56] but everyone else who's there. So I will say it was, you know, very quick when we heard alerts to [13:06] that something was wrong. We saw just an entire flood of Secret Service agents ushering us out. [13:17] I actually have to prepare for this press conference now, but I will check in with you later. [13:21] Go ahead and prepare. We have Matt Gutman on the line with us now to talk a little bit about what [13:28] what you saw, Matt. Were the shots outside or inside? [13:36] Inside. Well, inside but outside the ballroom. [13:40] Okay, so we're going to get to him in a second, but CBS News Homeland Security [13:43] correspondent Nicole Skanga was also at the dinner and has some new information for us right now. [13:52] Hi, good evening. Can you hear me? I can. [13:54] So what we know right now is that the suspect has been transported to Howard Hospital in Washington, D.C., [14:03] that the suspect had both a shotgun and a handgun on his person when he opened fire. And we're told by [14:10] law enforcement sources that the suspect had approached the security perimeter for the event. [14:16] So for those who don't know, there are magnetometers that line the basement of the Washington Hilton's [14:25] ballroom. Everyone has to go through security to get into the event. They have to be magged. [14:31] Oftentimes they're hand wanded. We're told that the suspect was approaching where that security [14:36] perimeter was set up when he opened fire on a U.S. Secret Service agent, striking that agent at least [14:45] once. We are told that agent took at least one round, but will survive, is doing okay, was wearing, [14:53] of course, a bulletproof vest. We're told in total there were around five to eight shots fired. And [15:00] again, both that agent and the suspect who is now in custody have been transported to different area [15:06] hospitals in Washington, D.C. What I can tell you is that we heard approximately five or six gunshots from [15:17] where we were seated inside the dinner. They seem to be coming almost from directly outside. And we were [15:25] near the exit. When we heard that, Secret Service immediately directing us to get down, get down. [15:32] I was seated next to our national security contributor, Sam Vinograd, who of course has training. We [15:39] immediately went underneath our tables where we were covered there. But it was a flurry of gunfire. It was [15:47] not as if we heard shots and then more shots later. We're told there were five to eight gunshots in [15:52] succession. And the threat was immediately neutralized. And again, both the Secret Service [15:59] agent who neutralized the threat and the suspect transported to area hospitals. The only person we [16:06] are told suffering critical injuries right now is the gunman. You mentioned Sam Vinograd. And actually, [16:14] that's our CBS News national security contributor who is joining us now herself. Sam, can you hear me? [16:20] I can. Thank you. Okay. Tell us what you saw. Well, having been seated next to Nicole and other [16:29] colleagues, we heard a succession of shots fired and quickly got under the table. From that point, [16:35] there was certainly a lot of movement as individuals were trying to get to safety. And I will say that [16:40] protective details left into action instantaneously. We heard and saw U.S. Secret Service and other [16:48] protective details immediately shield their protectees, cabinet officials, the president and vice [16:53] president, and very quickly move them to safety. We stayed under the table for several minutes to [17:00] ensure that the environment around us was secure enough to depart. And then from there, [17:06] moved outside of the ballroom. Very quickly after that, the U.S. Secret Service and several other [17:12] law enforcement agencies present on the site, which is unsurprising based on the scale and scope of this [17:18] event, and the number of not just U.S. dignitaries present, but also foreign officials present, [17:24] French ambassador, Belgian ambassador, the list goes on. They started clearing areas of the ballroom lobby [17:31] and escorting individuals out of the exit. So clearly, the threat response measures were activated [17:38] quite efficiently. The question, of course, is why the threat detection measures and the physical [17:43] security on site allowed this individual to get up to the magnetometers. Typically, security planning [17:50] for an event like this would have been months in the making, and there should have been a multi-layered [17:57] security apparatus in place, multiple checkpoints to ensure that no individual who wasn't authorized [18:02] to be on site was there, that no individual with a weapon or weapons could get close enough. Now, [18:08] I will just say we don't know if this individual was someone who came up off the street, an individual [18:14] who was staying at the hotel, for example, or someone who did have an invitation to the event. That [18:20] will all become more readily available in the hours ahead. And those are the questions that [18:25] they're going to have to answer. How did this happen? You talked about the immediate response within [18:32] seconds. But what lapse was there that allowed this person to get as close as he or she did? [18:39] But right now, we're going to go to CBS News Chief Correspondent Matt Guttman joining us now. [18:43] You were there as well, Matt. [18:44] I was. I was about three tables up from the dais. And at first, our only warning was the [18:52] clattering of plates. We heard platters fall. We saw people behind us and sort of a wave begin to [18:57] duck and take cover beneath tables. And then my table, everybody ducked as well. We saw the [19:03] president suddenly surrounded by secret service. And within a second, he was gone. We just couldn't [19:09] physically see him anymore. I began to maneuver towards the center hallway or the center aisle where [19:15] their secret service, DHS, running towards the dais, trying to clear the room. And then one by one, [19:21] clitoris, you saw the VIPs in the room begin to be bundled off. We saw Pete Hegseth. We saw RFK Jr. [19:29] right next to us, his wife, Cheryl Hines. Stephen Miller. One by one, they were bundled off. They were [19:34] sort of carried and taken out of the room. And very quickly, the room was cleared of these cabinet [19:41] members. I think one of the last ones to be taken out was Scott Bessent. I followed some of the [19:46] officers as they were running out of the room, yelling, police, police, trying to part through [19:51] the crowd, going through the doorways. And there I saw where they, we believe they had taken the [19:57] president who was near the press pool in an elevator lobby. He had gone downstairs. And then I saw a couple [20:03] of those officers that I'd been following run out with a medical bag and run up to the lobby of the hotel, [20:09] where we believe they were trying to render first aid. Outside, the president was kept [20:16] downstairs for a period of time because when I got outside, I was able to see the presidential beast, [20:21] those massively armored Cadillacs, still parked outside. It was a short time later that the [20:26] president was taken out, obviously, at the White House now and safe. You know, it is incredibly rare [20:32] for something like this to happen, an attempt on the president, not so much this president, the third [20:36] attempt, but how public it was in front of essentially almost every reporter in Washington [20:43] and people from around the world is incredibly rare. So public, so visible, so conspicuous. And again, [20:51] you have been talking about this so far. The questions, how did someone with any sort of weapon [20:56] manage to get in? Where was the security? And I think what a lot of people don't understand at home, [21:01] it was my first time here, how crowded that room is. You are shoulder to shoulder, cheek to jowl with [21:07] all these people. There must be 1,500 people in that room. So to maintain security and to keep it [21:14] has to be an incredibly difficult task. And still, you expect that there is reason to believe that [21:20] every precaution will be taken. We hope that that is the case. This investigation is going to be very [21:27] key. I'm sure it's going to be very thorough because there are many questions to be answered. [21:31] And going forward, and we'll talk to Nancy Cordes about this as well, one wonders about how often [21:37] the president will be allowed out in public. How will he address people? What will security look like [21:42] going forward? These are massive questions after tonight. And again, I cannot imagine a more public [21:48] forum for an attempted assassination to take place. It is reminiscent of obviously Butler, [21:54] but also the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. back in 1968. Clarissa. [22:00] We just talked about her emotions tonight. What was going through your mind when all of this was [22:05] transpiring, Matt? I mean, I'm a journalist. I've covered war for the better part of 25 years and [22:13] conflict, disaster. So I was immediately in reporter mode. And I know that many of my colleagues were in [22:20] the same mode. As soon as I could get the phone out of my pocket, I got it out and I began filming. [22:25] I sort of began an army crawl towards that center aisle to get a better vantage point of the [22:30] security forces coming in, trying to protect the president, then bundle him off. And as soon as [22:34] I looked over to the dais, they were gone. I mean, it was incredible how quickly they protected him, [22:39] got him out once they realized what was going on. But I think for many of us in the room, [22:44] it was the instinct of being a reporter that took precedence. I wasn't so much worried about my [22:50] safety, but trying to figure out what was happening in the room. And I think one of the things that was [22:54] so disorienting for us, Clarissa, for the people in the front of the room is that we heard nothing. [23:00] There was no gunfire. We didn't hear a shotgun. We didn't hear five shots or four shots or eight or [23:05] however many there were. The first sign that something had happened were plates clattering [23:10] and people begin ducking like a wave that you see at a sports stadium, just a wave of people [23:16] starting to go under the tables, Clarissa. As we talk about the questions that need to be [23:21] answered and asked, one of the things is we don't even know yet if this gunman was in fact [23:26] targeting the president. There's been a lot of hatred towards press. So we don't know if they were, [23:32] the person was there to hurt the press there or the president, right, Matt? We're not sure yet. [23:38] No, it is unclear what the target was, but I mean, this was a dinner in which is the first time that [23:43] the president has been at the White House Correspondence Dinner in over a decade. It was very clear that [23:49] he was going to be there. There were protesters outside. They heckled correspondence and security [23:56] personnel as we were going in. This is all part of the free press. And this is what this dinner did, [24:01] is celebrating the free press. But you're right. We don't know the circumstances yet, [24:06] and I'm sure all of that is going to be thoroughly investigated, at least we hope, Clarissa. [24:09] All right. We are waiting for the president to go up to the podium. That's a live look right there. [24:16] As we wait for the president's arrival, we're going to turn to Chief White House Correspondent [24:21] Nancy Cordes, who was also at the dinner. Nancy. It's so great to be with you. Yes. You know, [24:27] I can't stress enough, as Matt said, that in the early moments, those of us who were at the front of [24:32] the room had not heard any gunshots outside. And the first thing we saw were men in suit and tie [24:39] running towards the front of the room. And, you know, it went through my mind for a moment. Why are [24:44] those waiters running until I realized that they actually had guns in their hands? And that's [24:49] when everyone dove under the tables. I was seated right next to one of the president's long-time [24:55] advisors, Dan Scavino and his wife. And it was fascinating to see, after a few moments, [25:01] as we all huddled under those tables, the Secret Service start to come and find the individuals that [25:08] they protect and whisk them out of the room. And it was really quick thinking on Matt's part to [25:12] actually follow them and go out of the room. Because for the rest of us, we ended up being [25:18] kind of barricaded in there for the better part of an hour. And what was fascinating was that [25:24] talking to officials in the room, talking to folks who were hearing from the White House [25:29] Correspondents Association, the president was still there for about an hour. He was not taken [25:36] out of the Washington Hilton and whisked back to the White House. He was sheltering in place, [25:42] just like we were in a more secure area. We couldn't get to that area. [25:46] But we were told repeatedly that he wanted to come back out and speak to the members of the press, [25:53] that he wanted not necessarily to go on with business as usual, but he wanted to come and address [26:00] us and tell us that he was fine and to argue that, you know, he wasn't going to be cowed [26:06] by what was happening. And eventually, you know, the Secret Service overrode that, [26:12] told them that he needed to come back to the White House. And that's where he is right now, [26:16] getting ready to give this briefing. And there we see him now at the podium. [26:21] Nancy, the president just stepped up to the podium, so we're going to listen in right now. [26:24] But incredibly acted upon by Secret Service and law enforcement. And this was an event [26:34] dedicated to freedom of speech that was supposed to bring together members of both parties with [26:41] members of the press. And in a certain way, it did, because the fact that they just unified, [26:49] I saw a room that was just totally unified. It was in one way, very beautiful, [26:53] a very beautiful thing to see. A man charged a security checkpoint armed with multiple weapons, [27:01] and he was taken down by some very brave members of Secret Service, and they acted very quickly. [27:07] And I've just released for purposes of transparency, clarity. I've ordered it to be put out. You [27:15] probably have it by now, put out on truth and put out on many of the platforms. A tape showing the [27:22] violence of this thug that attacked our constitution, and also showing how quickly Secret Service and law [27:29] enforcement acted on our country's behalf. Really did a great job. One officer was shot, [27:37] but saved by the fact that he was wearing, obviously, a very good bulletproof vest. He was [27:44] shot from very close distance with a very powerful gun. And the vest did the job. I just spoke to the [27:53] officer, and he's doing great. He's in great shape. He has very high spirits. And we told him we love him [28:03] and respect him. And he's a very proud guy. He's very proud of what he does, Secret Service agent. And [28:13] we looked at all of the conditions that took place tonight. And I will say, you know, it's not [28:19] a particularly secure building. And I didn't want to say this, but this is why we have to have [28:29] all of the attributes of what we're planning at the White House. It's actually a larger room, [28:36] and it's much more secure. It's got drone proof. It's bulletproof glass. We need the ballroom. That's [28:41] why Secret Service. That's why the military are demanding it. They've wanted the ballroom for 150 years [28:48] for lots of different reasons. But today is a little bit different, because today we need levels [28:55] of security that probably nobody's ever seen before. But everyone owes a tremendous debt of gratitude [29:03] to the courage of law enforcement. The law enforcement and working with the D.C. police, [29:09] and we just spoke with the mayor. And when we're finished, the police chief is going to take over and [29:16] discuss it also from their viewpoint. But they also performed exactly as they were supposed to. [29:25] And you see the attacker in different positions, but you also see the attacker totally subdued [29:31] and under control. So as you know, this is not the first time in the past couple of years that our [29:37] republic has been attacked by a would-be assassin who sought to kill in Butler, Pennsylvania less than [29:45] two years ago. You all know that story. And in Palm Beach, Florida, a few months after that, we came [29:51] close. We really had, again, we had some great work done by law enforcement. But in light of this [29:59] evening's events, I ask that all Americans recommit with their hearts in resolving our difference [30:05] peacefully. We have to resolve our differences. I will say, you had Republicans, Democrats, [30:12] independents, conservatives, liberals, and progressives. Those words are interchangeable, [30:19] perhaps, but maybe they're not. But you had everybody in that room, big crowd, record-setting [30:24] crowd. There was a record-setting group of people. And there was a tremendous amount of love and coming [30:32] together. I watched, I watched, and I was very, very impressed by that. But we were, First Lady and I [30:40] were taken very well care of, very quickly, very quickly rushed off the stage. Vice President J.D. Vance, [30:49] who's here, was likewise beautifully done. He was just saying how quickly everybody acted. Law [30:57] enforcement, Secret Service in particular in this case, but law enforcement. Marco had the same thing. [31:02] Pete was there. Pete didn't want any help. He didn't want anybody to help. He doesn't want anybody to help [31:08] him. But he did get some, didn't you? And I think you also said that it was very impressive. [31:13] So with that, I'd like to ask Todd Blanche to come up, say a few words, and tell you it's already [31:20] underway. The man has been captured. They're going to his apartment. I guess he lives in California. [31:30] And he's a sick person, a very sick person. And we don't want things like this to happen. I think [31:35] it's very important that I say, though, and I told the representatives of the evening, [31:40] they did such a beautiful job with such a beautiful evening. And again, they're talking [31:44] about free speech in our Constitution. That's what it's all about. Not just [31:49] White House correspondence. It's really, it was really based on free speech in our Constitution. [31:54] But I said very importantly that we'll do it again within the next 30 days. It will make it [32:00] bigger and better and even nicer. So I just want to thank everybody that was involved. [32:06] I also want to thank the press, the media. You've been very responsible in your coverage. [32:11] I will say I've been seeing what's been out. You've been very responsible. [32:15] So, Todd Blanche, I'd like to say a few words. I know we're going to have cash. [32:18] And then you're going to go on. We can ask, I guess we can take a couple of questions. [32:24] I want to thank the First Lady for, that was a rather traumatic experience for her. [32:31] There was a lot of action taking place up there very quickly. [32:35] But again, the response time was really incredible. [32:39] And we're going to reschedule. We're going to do it again. [32:42] We're not going to let anybody take over our society. We're not going to cancel things out [32:46] because we can't do that. We wanted to stay tonight. I will tell you, I [32:51] fought like hell to stay. But they, it was protocol. They said, please, sir, [32:58] because they didn't know a lot of, there was a lot of action going on. And they didn't know, [33:02] could there be probably a lone shooter? But we'll find out. We'll find out very quickly. [33:06] They have it very well under control. So I want to thank everybody very much. And [33:11] Todd Blanche, please. [33:12] Thank you very much, Mr. President. Tonight, you saw the very worst and the very best of this country. [33:23] You saw the very worst by the actions of that coward that the president just talked about. But you also saw [33:29] the very best because you saw law enforcement do exactly what they're supposed to do. And you'll [33:34] see the videos come out. I expect very shortly. And you'll see law enforcement do exactly what [33:39] we want them to do. And so I echo what Mr. President, what President Trump just said, [33:44] that we are extraordinarily grateful and appreciative of the men and women of law enforcement that [33:49] that did their jobs tonight, including one who was, who was injured. This investigation is ongoing. [33:55] I expect you will see charges filed shortly. The charges should be self-evident given the conduct. [34:02] But but as you'll hear, there will be multiple charges around the shooting, around the possession [34:07] of firearms and and anything else that we can get get on this guy. The investigation is obviously [34:13] ongoing and just started. There is federal law enforcement already working on search warrants and [34:20] doing their job. And I don't want to get ahead of them and don't want to get ahead of the work that [34:25] they're doing even as we speak. Director Patel and I were just on the crime scene a short while ago. [34:31] And everybody in this room should rest assured that the Metropolitan Police Department, the FBI, [34:36] Secret Service, everybody's on the scene doing their job. I know that the police chief is going to [34:42] give an update from the scene as soon as we're finished here. And I obviously will lead the details of [34:48] what of what they have learned to him. But in the meantime, I just want to thank thank everybody in [34:54] this room for the courage. And I want to thank President Trump for his for his words. And I promise [35:01] you justice will be served. Thank you. Director Patel. Thank you, General. Thank you, Mr. President. [35:09] The president's absolutely right. You saw the best resolve of American law enforcement because you, [35:14] Mr. President, inspire them 24 7 365. You give them the resources that they need. And you know, [35:19] they know that you have their back. And that is a changing dynamic in this country. And that's [35:23] why you saw brave Secret Service agents respond immediately, swiftly, subdue and take down the [35:29] suspect and safeguard the lives of thousands of individuals at that hotel. Thanks to our [35:33] interagency partnership with the Department of Homeland Security and the Metropolitan Police [35:37] Department. The FBI was rapidly deployed onto the scene, took over the evidence response unit, [35:43] is examining all the ballistics that were found on scene to include the long gun and the shell casings. [35:48] We are conducting witness interviews as we speak. You will hear from our team on the scene there with [35:53] the mayor and the head of the FBI field division there. But please know what the attorney general [35:57] has just said rings no truer. You saw the very best of America tonight. The very best unite us [36:03] at a time of uncertainty because we have leadership here with the president, the vice president that [36:08] backs law enforcement and the men and women that I shook their hands on the scene today could not have been [36:12] prouder to show up on scene. And as the attorney general said, make no mistake, we are conducting witness [36:17] interviews. If you have any information, any information whatsoever related to this event, [36:22] 1-800-CALL-FBI. 1-800-CALL-FBI. No piece of information is too small. No piece of information [36:28] is inadequate. We will evaluate it all. We will also be conducting interviews of those that were there. [36:32] And if any of those individuals have information, please come forward to law enforcement or the FBI or [36:37] the Metropolitan Police Department. We will be examining this individual's background thoroughly. [36:41] That process has already started. And we are going to ensure that he was either a lone wolf actor [36:46] or anyone else that was responsible. We will analyze all evidence immediately to make sure that we [36:51] safeguard this country. Mr. President, Mr. Vice President, thank you for your leadership, [36:54] Attorney General and Homeland Secretary Mullen. Thank you for your partnership in law enforcement. [36:58] Thank you. Thank you. [37:00] Okay, we'll do a couple and then we go to the chief. [37:04] Madam Chairman, I just want to say you did a fantastic job. What a beautiful evening. [37:09] And we're going to reschedule. It's very tough for her to ask a killer question, right? [37:18] But you have done a fantastic job. Please. [37:20] Thank you, Mr. President. I appreciate it. As you mentioned, it all happened so quickly. [37:25] Yeah. [37:25] And I wonder, especially because, unfortunately, you have experience with these sorts of threats. [37:34] In that moment when you realized there was a threat and service agents were telling us to get down, [37:41] can you describe what was going through your mind, how you were feeling in that moment? [37:46] That's a very good question, actually. It was, it's always shocking when something like this [37:51] happens, happened to me a little bit, and that never changes. The fact, we were sitting right next [38:00] to each other, the first lady on my right, and I heard a noise and sort of thought it was a tray. [38:06] I thought it was a tray going down. I've heard that many times, and it was pretty loud noise. [38:13] And it was from quite far away. He hadn't breached the area at all. They really got him. [38:18] But so it was quite far away, but it was a gun. And some people really understood that pretty quickly. [38:26] Other people didn't. I was watching to see what was happening. Probably should have gone down even [38:32] faster. Melania was very cognizant, I think, of what happened. I think she knew [38:38] immediately what happened. She was saying, that's a bad noise. And [38:46] we were whisked away along with other people, but we were really whisked away. And again, [38:51] the performance of the Secret Service and the police, all of the law enforcement, I thought it [38:56] was really good. So it was very quick. There wasn't a lot of time to be thinking, [39:00] because it was a matter of seconds before we were out the door and gone into an area. [39:05] We very much, and you wanted to too, we very much wanted to continue it, because I don't [39:10] like to let these sick people, these thugs, these horrible, horrible people, change the fabric of our [39:17] life, change the course of what we do. So we held out. You were there. We held out right till the end. But [39:23] they didn't want to take a chance. And I understand it was protocol. But we're going to be doing one, [39:28] hopefully within the next 30 days or sooner. And I am ready, willing, and able. And I was all set [39:35] to really rip it. And I said to my people, this would be the most inappropriate speech ever made [39:41] if I said one. So I have to save it. I don't know if I could ever be as rough as I was going to be [39:46] tonight. I think I'm going to be probably very nice. I'll be very boring the next time. But we're going to [39:51] have a great event. And you did a fantastic job. Thank you very much. Peter, go ahead. [39:55] Thank you, President Trump. There's a report in the New York Post that this assailant assembled his [40:02] weapon somewhere on site at the hotel. What do you think about that? And I ask respectfully, [40:10] why do you think this keeps happening to you? Well, you know, I've studied assassinations. [40:19] And I must tell you, the most impactful people, the people that do the most. You take a look at [40:27] the people, Abraham Lincoln. I mean, you go through the people that have gone through this, [40:32] where they got them. But the people that do the most, the people that make the biggest impact, [40:39] they're the ones that they go after. They don't go after the ones that don't do much because [40:43] they like it that way. And when you look at the people that have either, whether it was an attempt [40:51] or a successful attempt, they're very impactful people. Just take a look at the names here, [40:57] the big names. And I hate to say I'm honored by that, but I've done a lot. We've done a lot. We have, [41:05] we've taken this country and we were a laughing stock for years. And now we're the hottest country [41:10] anywhere in the world. We've changed this country. And there are a lot of people that are not happy [41:15] about that. So I think that's the answer, Peter. And after Butler, your team for a while rethought [41:21] outdoor events. Yeah. Do you think that you now need to rethink outdoor events? No. Well, [41:25] then you just don't do events. No, I can't do that. I have to, what it, you know, it is what it is. [41:29] We have to do it. The room was very, very secure. You know, he charged from 50 yards away. So he was very far [41:36] away from the room. And what did you think when you saw the video of how fast he was running? [41:40] He was moving. He was really moving. And the reaction time was great. Boy, those guys, [41:45] they had their guns drawn literally by the time he was there. They were shooting. That's right. [41:50] They were, I thought they were very impressive. I thought they were very impressive. And if I didn't, [41:55] I'd let you know, you know, I'm not going to be, I would not stand for that. No, I thought they were very [42:00] impressive. Thank you, President Trump. Thank you for updating us on the suspect earlier. [42:06] Thank you. Were you aware of any threats? [42:07] Were your team aware of any threats beforehand? And do you believe you were the target of this tonight? [42:12] I guess. I mean, these people are, they're crazy. They're crazy. And, you know, you never know. [42:17] It was very far away from me. I had to go through a lot. You know, we had, we had resources all over. [42:23] We had resources sitting at tables, literally in disguise, sitting maybe at your table. Who knows? [42:30] But we had, we had people all over the room. So he had a long way to go. That was really [42:34] the first line of defense. And they got him. And they really, you know, they acted incredibly. [42:39] No, we have, we've had no, there was no notification. We had no idea. Go ahead. [42:44] Do you have any political motivations from this? [42:47] Well, you never know. No, we'll be able to tell you that. [42:49] Maybe by tomorrow or the next day, you know, he's in custody and [42:53] they're asking him a lot of questions. I guess they're going over, Todd, and they're, [42:57] they're already at his apartment. He lives in California. [43:01] Yes, sir. [43:01] And they'll be, they're over there. So they'll be able to tell you. Thank you, Caitlin. [43:07] President Trump, did the suspect say anything or was he wearing anything that would [43:12] allege some type of motive here? [43:13] Nothing, no. I mean, he was a guy who looked pretty evil when he was down. You know, [43:20] they had him down. He was fighting hard. He was a, [43:22] in my opinion, a sick person who would do that but a sick person. [43:27] But I think you're going to find everything about him. No reason to talk about it now. But tomorrow [43:31] at this time, long before this time, you're going to know a lot of things about him. He was, [43:36] they seemed to think he was a lone wolf. And I feel that too. [43:39] Are you concerned about U.S. Secret Service protection ability? We saw several of the detailies [43:45] take minutes to be escorted out of the room. [43:47] No, they acted very quickly. No, I was very impressed by Secret Service. I mean, [43:51] I'm the one, and Mark Wayne, you would agree with that, I think. I'm the one that [43:57] would complain. You don't have to complain for me. I would be complaining. I'd be up here right [44:00] now saying they didn't do their job. Well, believe me, because, you know, it's my life. [44:05] And I want to live because I want to make this country great. That's why I want to live. [44:09] But when you're impactful, they go after you. When you're not impactful, they leave you alone. [44:14] Okay. A couple of more. A couple of more. Go ahead, please. [44:18] Is there any indication that this shooting could have been linked to the war in Iran? [44:25] I don't think so. But you never know. We're going to know a lot. We'll, [44:30] we have the best people in the world working on it. And we're going to know a lot. Please. [44:34] Mr. President, there's a lot. There's you, as well as some of us who have covered Butler, [44:40] experienced another horrific day two years ago. Yeah. [44:44] What's what felt similar? You know, you had the first lady with you today. What felt different? [44:49] And you have another two plus years in office. Are you concerned about something like this? [44:54] Well, I can't be concerned. I can only get great people. They did the job. A much, in my opinion, [45:00] a much better job than Butler. Butler had one weak spot that we all know about. Somebody should have been up [45:05] there. But even Butler, we had a, our sniper, sniper on our side within 4.2 seconds from a distance of [45:16] about 400 yards, one shot and he was gone. And if he didn't do now, you know, he's David. His name [45:26] was David. I say, hello, David, every time I see him. David, I like you very much, David. But think of [45:32] that. Now, if he doesn't hit him and he hit him right between the eyes from 400 yards without any [45:38] notice, nobody knew. He heard a sound. He looked over and there was actually a tree that was somewhat [45:44] in his way. You know the story very well. And he aimed, he fired. And if he didn't do that, [45:51] beyond me, you would have had a lot more people killed who lost one great person and two people very [45:56] badly hurt. They're okay now. But no, that was so in a sense, you know, they, that was pretty amazing, [46:03] the job they did. But, but, but they did have that one weak spot, as you know, they should have had [46:09] that covered. Tonight they had everything covered very quickly. And he was fast. He was running full [46:14] blast. And they got him before they got any further. I was very far away. You know, he was, [46:19] he hadn't anywhere close to breach the doors of the ballroom. The ballroom was sealed [46:25] and everybody in there. That's why once those doors opened, they didn't want to do tonight. If the doors [46:30] weren't opened, we could have probably done it tonight. But I think we're much better off [46:34] rescheduling. Yeah, please. Mr. President, for you and perhaps law enforcement as well, [46:39] what is the level of confidence that this was a lone actor? And has the suspect made any [46:45] statements to police while in custody? I think it, I'm just my, look at my [46:49] profession. We have great professionals up here and outside that have been working with us. [46:54] My impression is he was a lone wolf, a whack job. These are crazy people. These are crazy people. [47:02] And they have to be dealt with. We had that in the second attempt, as you know, and he's, [47:07] he's spending life in prison. Because if you let him out, they'll probably, you know, [47:12] if he serves 10 years or 15 years, you let him out, he'll probably try it again with somebody else. [47:17] They're sick people. We have a lot of sick people. But you're going to know, [47:21] I think very shortly, you're going to know, Todd, a lot about him. You're going to know a lot about [47:27] him. Yeah, a couple of more. Yeah, please, go ahead. [47:34] Are you concerned about political violence? This could be politically motivated. [47:38] All violence. I'm concerned about everything. Look, I can't be so concerned that you can't function. [47:44] No, I'm here. It's a dangerous profession. You know, I tell the story, race car drivers, [47:50] I think it's very dangerous. So if you take 1% and then take about 10% of 1%, just to break it down [48:00] very easily, they die. So much less than 1%, 10% of 1%. I think bull riding is very dangerous. If you take [48:10] about the same 10% of 1%, much less than 1%. But if you take presidents, it's 5.8%. And about 8% [48:19] 10% are shot at. So nobody told me this was such a dangerous profession. If Marco would have told me, [48:29] maybe I wouldn't have run. Maybe I would have said, I'll take a pass. No, it's a dangerous profession. [48:35] But I don't view it that way. Look, I'm here to do a job. It's part of the job. It is a dangerous. [48:40] It's I can't imagine that there's any profession that's more dangerous. But I love the country and I'm [48:46] very proud. I'm very proud of the job we've done. You see what's happened. We have a great country. [48:50] We've got, I think, the most successful, the hottest country anywhere in the world. [48:54] This happened over a period of just a year. And we're going to do great things. But with that come [49:01] risks. There's no question about it. Yeah. [49:03] I mean, there's been so much political violence, not just aimed at yourself, [49:08] but at other members of, you know, members of Congress, State House speakers, you name it. [49:13] Is that just the cost of doing business to do politics in America anymore? [49:17] Yeah. Well, what does it say about our country? [49:19] We're not the only country. You look at this great violence with all countries. I was [49:23] talking to somebody from another country today, and they have numerous assassinations of political [49:31] figures all over the world. You look at South America and South America, it's like, [49:36] some of the numbers are just horrific. It's dangerous. It's dangerous stuff, whether it's here or [49:40] someplace else. No country is immune. No country. Good question. [49:45] Is it possible to turn that temperature down at this point? [49:47] Well, probably if I decided to just not do much, you know, if I let everybody rip us off [49:55] and take advantage of us. Look, we're leading the world in trade now. We're leading the world in the [49:59] military. We're the greatest military in the world. I rebuilt it in my first term, [50:03] and now we use it because we have no choice. We can't let, as an example, Iran, [50:08] we can't let them get a nuclear weapon. Everything will be peanuts compared to that [50:12] if they ever were given a nuclear weapon, and they'd use it, too. Marco and I were talking about [50:18] it today. They would use it without even hesitation. We can't do that. It was a shame. I said, [50:23] oh, boy, look at the numbers. We just broke 50,000 in the Dow. We just broke 7,000 in the S&P. [50:29] They said we couldn't do it in seven years, in five years, four years. They were saying [50:33] maybe in five or six years, and we did it in one year, and I called everybody together. I called all [50:40] of these people and others, and I said we have to take a little journey. I say to do this. We just [50:46] had the great number. We just broke 50,000. It wasn't supposed to happen during my term. [50:51] It wasn't reachable. We did it in one year, and I said we're going to have to make a journey to Iran. [50:57] They're going to have a nuclear weapon if we don't do it. We had the B-2 bombers take them out. [51:01] I terminated, in the first term, the Obama agreement, the Iran nuclear agreement, which [51:07] was a disaster. That was a road to a nuclear weapon. They would have used it. They would have [51:11] used it 100 percent. So, you know, when you do things like that, you become a target. If I wasn't [51:16] doing that, I guess I'd be a lot less of a target. But I'm honored to be. Okay, one more question. [51:21] Go ahead. [51:27] Go ahead, please. Thank you, President Trump. [51:29] Thank you, President Trump. Do you know how the gun was brought into the hotel? And also, [51:34] how does this event impact you as the leader of our country? Do you think it will change your [51:39] relationship? I like not to think about it. [51:42] I lead a pretty normal life, considering, you know, it's a dangerous life. I think I'm, [51:47] I think I handle it as well as, as well as it can be handled. I think a lot of other people, [51:51] you know, you read stories where they become basket cases, to be honest with you. I'm not a basket case. [51:56] I take his, really take it as it is. I do it for the country. I'm not doing it for any other [52:01] reason. I have a first lady who's doing a terrific job. She loves the country. And [52:07] she recognizes it better than anybody. She's told me numerous times, she said, [52:12] you are in a dangerous job. But that goes along with her, too. I mean, it's dangerous for her, too. [52:17] We sat there tonight. We heard that noise. And it was either a tray or a bullet. I thought, [52:24] I was hoping it was a tray, but it wasn't. And again, we had some very brave people doing a great [52:31] job. So we're very proud of them and happy with them. I just want to thank everybody. They will be [52:36] able to give you all that information as to the names and everything else. Most of, I think we released [52:42] the names already. Most of you would have it. But his name. We appreciate it. I see so many tuxedos [52:50] and beautiful dresses. It was a little different evening than we thought. But we're going to do it [52:54] again. And we're going to we have a great chairman who we're so proud of. And we have to make it [53:01] better. We'll make it safer, I guess. Right. But we're going to make it even better. Okay. Thank you [53:06] very much. Thank you. [53:08] In the back, sir. [53:09] How impactful this was. Can we hear from her about [53:12] Well, honey, would you want to say something? [53:14] Okay. [53:14] In the back. [53:15] In the back, sir. [53:16] In the back, sir. [53:20] Any of the people across the globe, in fact, are watching you, you demonstrated [53:25] courageous leadership. And thank God you're alive, all of us are alive today. What are the [53:29] messages that you want to give to the world that this should change? What corrective measures can we take [53:35] from here on? Well, all you can do, look, I don't care how many people you have, how good they are, [53:41] they can be the greatest people. You have the greatest security in history. If you have a whack job [53:47] that's got a brain, but it's a little bit distorted or a lot distorted, they can make trouble. I would say, [53:54] Pete, right? You know, they can make trouble. Some of these people are of genius level IQ and they're [54:01] nuts. So it can be trouble. So you do absolutely the best. You get the best. We have the best [54:08] people. Well, look, it was proven tonight. He started running from 50 yards and he was fast. He [54:15] was like a blur on tape. He was moving. They turned. It was very impressive the way they got him [54:22] because a lot of people would be looking and saying, you know, it's like a weird feeling. [54:27] And they would let him get through. But they didn't let him get through. They drew those guns [54:33] so fast, looked like, they looked like Matt Dillon. They looked like somebody that knew what they were [54:38] doing. What do I do? But it comes with the territory. And if you want to do a great job, [54:44] I really believe that. And you take a look at what's happened to some of our greatest presidents. [54:49] And it doesn't happen to people that don't do anything. And it's not going to deter me from [54:56] winning the war in Iran. I don't know if that had anything to do with it. I really don't think so [55:02] based on what we know. But we're going to continue to do a great job. That's all I can do. [55:08] Thank you very much. We'll see you tomorrow. Thank you. [55:11] Thank you. [55:13] Thank you. [55:15] Thank you. [55:16] You've been watching President Donald Trump in an extraordinary late night, [55:25] Saturday night press conference appearing with two members of his cabinet in a tuxedo, [55:30] because it's a night that began in honor and celebration of the First Amendment and the [55:34] Constitution and ended as too many nights in America these days and the conversation about [55:40] political violence. We don't know the motive of the gunman at this hour, but we do know a man [55:46] charged a security checkpoint at the Hilton where the White House correspondence dinner was taking [55:50] place. You see the video on your screen. And he was charging toward a room full of journalists, [55:56] politicians and the president of the United States. Inside that room, because this has become so common [56:01] in America, you have people that are multiple time victims of political violence. Erica Kirk was in the [56:09] room. People saw her in tears. Steve Scalise was a table away from me. That's the reason I'm wearing [56:16] a tuxedo here as well. He was a victim of political violence. And then, of course, [56:20] you have the president himself. That is the context for what we're talking about tonight. [56:25] And we also know more about the specifics on the gunman himself. Matt, you've been looking into that. [56:32] We do have a name right now, Tony. It is Cole Thomas Allen, 31 from Torrance, California, [56:38] just south of Los Angeles. Our understanding so far is that he has no known criminal record. We don't [56:44] know much more other than the pictures we are now seeing of him being taken down, hands shackled behind [56:50] him, zip-tied face down. We do know that he brought at least two weapons in, a shotgun and a handgun. He was [56:57] able to fire some of them, as you saw him, sprint through that security cordon towards that room [57:02] that was closed off, sealed, as the president had just said, with many, many hundreds of journalists, [57:08] VIPs, and politicians inside. We don't have a motive, but we don't exactly know what his target [57:14] was at this moment. We don't have a moment. We have the context. And I'll give another note on the [57:18] context here. There's the pattern of political violence with other politicians for many years now. [57:24] We've had these conversations, it seems like, every other week sometimes. And on the way out, [57:29] as we were all escorted out, forced down one particular pathway, there are protesters. It is [57:34] a free speech event. Protest is a free speech right. One of the signs that I saw on the way out said, [57:40] death to tyrants, death to them all. Protected speech, ugly speech, and the kind of speech that can [57:46] lead a broken mind to charge a security checkpoint like we just saw. And Tony, I was in the room before [57:53] this incident happened, talking to a White House official about all the threats that they have [57:59] been getting. And they were talking about the decision that they were making about whether to [58:04] move and where to move, because there is this heightened threat environment. You have several [58:11] top White House officials and Cabinet members who are actually living on an Army base right now, [58:16] because it was determined that that was the safest place for them to live. We were just on the salad [58:22] course when this happened. The President of the United States, who just said in that press conference, [58:27] I was really ready to rip it tonight. He was very excited. This was his first time in either of his [58:34] terms actually attending the White House Correspondents Association dinner. It was our Ouija [58:38] Jiang who made that and treated to him, arguing this was all about the First Amendment, [58:43] the relationship between the press and the President, urging him to come. He was looking [58:47] forward to it. He had worked with his joke writers on a speech, and we had multiple officials telling [58:52] us after the shooting that he wanted to stay and give the speech anyway until the Secret Service told [58:59] him that he had to leave. You're seeing video on your screen right now that I shot from my table [59:05] about 20 yards from where the President was sitting. You heard the President in the press conference [59:11] praise law enforcement and the Secret Service response. I will say we were all in the room. [59:15] The pictures that the President posted of the suspect face down on the rug, that is quite close [59:21] to a set of stairs that goes down to the ballroom itself. It's maybe 100 yards, 150 yards from the entry [59:28] point into the ballroom and then the ballroom itself. It's not a great distance, so you can't fault his [59:33] confidence, but I'm sure there will also be a review here of how close he got and why he was able to get so [59:40] close. You mentioned Weijia Zhang. Our Ed O'Keefe is not far from here across town with Weijia right [59:46] now. We're going to go to him now. Ed? Good to see you again. We obviously were all together in that [59:51] ballroom about, what, two hours ago now when this happened. The rest of us were on the ballroom floor [1:00:00] at our tables and Weijia was up on stage on the dais in her role not only as senior White House [1:00:07] correspondent but as chairwoman of the White House Correspondents Association. For the uninitiated, [1:00:12] remind them what is this association? What will we be doing tonight? The White House Correspondents [1:00:17] Association serves as the bridge between the White House press corps and the administration. And once a [1:00:25] year we host this dinner for all of those people in both groups to come together to celebrate the [1:00:35] importance of the First Amendment and all the freedoms in the First Amendment. So we were doing [1:00:40] that today. This was, you know, in the middle of dinner and the formal program had not started, [1:00:47] but we were all seated. We were, you know, having conversation. I was talking to President Trump [1:00:54] because I was sitting there with him. And it was so quick. Did you hear it? We heard commotion and then I [1:01:07] saw the Secret Service agents plunging toward our head table. And it just, it took me a couple seconds to [1:01:18] realize what was happening. But when I heard them say down, down, down. I, of course, crawled to the [1:01:25] ground as quickly as possible. And there was President Trump right in front of me. We were [1:01:33] touching because we were both sprawled out on the ground. In front of him was the First Lady. And [1:01:41] Asians were telling us to move when they thought it was safe. So we crawled out. [1:01:49] You had to crawl off the stage. Yes, I crawled off the stage. And I had no idea what was going on. [1:01:56] I just knew that something, there was some sort of threat. The President and the First Lady were whisked [1:02:03] away. And, you know, we were just holding for a while to see if we could find out more details about [1:02:11] what was happening. And I will say the President kept in very close touch. And he wanted the show to go [1:02:20] on as he posted publicly. But he kept saying, you know, we should go back. We should go back because [1:02:27] he didn't want to be deterred by any threat. So ultimately, of course, law enforcement decided that [1:02:39] was not a good idea. And we came here to the White House. And we're going to do it again. [1:02:46] The President says that we are going to do it again. In fact, he called me back to have a [1:02:53] conversation with him before he posted about it. And he explained that despite, you know, [1:03:00] the fact that he really wanted this dinner to go on tonight, that it would have to wait. But he [1:03:05] stressed multiple times that he wanted to have the dinner at some point because he thought it was [1:03:11] important. You know, this is the first time President Trump had ever agreed to come to this [1:03:16] dinner as president. He didn't do it in his first term and so far. Right. Right. And, you know, [1:03:23] in the briefing just now, you heard him. He said, you know, tonight was supposed to bring [1:03:29] the White House and the press together. And in a way, this has. Because you realize the gravity and you [1:03:38] realize that, you know, the one thing we have in common, the one thing is our duty to the American [1:03:46] people. Right. And at the end of the day, that's what it's about. And, you know, he was quite [1:03:52] reflective about that, I thought. You've spent months, a year working on this. This happens. [1:04:01] They're asking me to ask you because we're all concerned as colleagues. How are you feeling? [1:04:06] Thank you for asking that. You know, what we do isn't about the big fancy dinner partner. [1:04:12] Right. In some ways, what happened tonight is actually a much better reflection of what it is [1:04:20] we do. Because when I looked on my phone and I didn't go into the ballroom, but I was scrolling, [1:04:25] just trying to find out what people were reporting, I saw many reporters reporting live from in the room [1:04:34] and tweeting from in the room and having no idea whether their lives were at stake because they [1:04:40] didn't know if there was an ongoing threat. And that's what reporters do. And that was on full display. [1:04:46] And why do we do it even in the most unthinkable circumstances? To inform the public. We're not [1:04:52] doing it for ourselves. So. Tony, and we all ran back here. [1:04:59] And we'll be here through the night to sort out what's going on. I know there's some other [1:05:02] information being shared up the street. So we should go deal with that, Tony. Thank you. [1:05:06] Yes. We should thank you very much, Ed. Thank you very much. That's not where they expected to be [1:05:11] tonight. That's not where we expected to be tonight. It's been a very strange turn of events. We are [1:05:16] waiting and we'll go to, when we have it, a police update. It looks like they've begun. Let's listen in. [1:05:24] What a great event of women do each and every day to protect our protectees is not easy. And I will [1:05:30] tell you that they performed admirably. We got to see what they do. And that individual, when he charged [1:05:37] a checkpoint, was apprehended. It shows that our multi-layered protection works. And I'm grateful to [1:05:43] our partners that help assist us with building these sites and protecting these sites. Very fortunate that [1:05:51] this officer is alive, is being observed. And I'm grateful that the president reached out to this [1:05:59] officer and spoke with him earlier. I ask everybody to pray for him and all of our officers and agents [1:06:03] that were involved. And I will tell you, we will continue with the mission. Thank you. Thank you. [1:06:10] Judge Pirro. I'm Jeanine Pirro. I'm the United States Attorney. Right now, the defendant is being charged [1:06:21] with two counts, 924C, using a firearm during a crime of violence and a second crime under 111, [1:06:30] which is assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon. Now, as you all know, [1:06:37] there was an individual, a uniformed Secret Service officer who, unfortunately, he is doing all right and [1:06:45] he will be fine. But it is clear based upon what we know so far that this individual was intent on [1:06:52] doing as much harm and as much damage as he could. And thankfully, because of the checkpoint right [1:06:59] outside the ballroom, where thousands of people were situated to hear the president of the United [1:07:05] States, because that checkpoint worked, there was no one who was injured when it was clear where this [1:07:12] defendant was going. Now, I want to make one comment. As a participant, someone who was in the ballroom, [1:07:21] who came this evening to be part of a very lovely event at the White House Correspondence Center, [1:07:27] I, for the first time, was in a situation where there were shots fired, shots heard, and a whole room [1:07:36] went silent. When I lifted my head and when I looked up, every law enforcement officer was out there, [1:07:46] as we all had our heads down, thousands of them. These are the men and women every day who do what [1:07:53] they do silently and they do it with courage and with dignity. Thank God for our partners, the FBI, [1:08:02] the Secret Service, the Metropolitan Police. All of them tonight acted so quickly that they prevented [1:08:11] what could have been a horrific event where we were all sitting there in one room. The defendant will [1:08:20] be arraigned on Monday in federal district court, but make no mistake, there will be many more charges [1:08:27] based upon the information that we are learning in this very fluid situation. Thank you. [1:08:33] I'll take a few questions. Right here in the front. Right here in the front. [1:08:38] Can you confirm that this suspect is specifically targeting the president, [1:08:41] and is he talking to law enforcement now? Chief. Sure. So, at this point, what we know is, [1:08:47] we know the individual charged the checkpoint with a fire on his hand. We know he was running in the [1:08:51] direction of the ballroom that the president was in, as well as other cabinet members. So, [1:08:55] what his specific motivation was, we can't say at this point. However, as we continue to investigate [1:09:00] that, we'll continue to work towards that. Chief, when you say that there seems to have been a lack [1:09:05] of authorization to come to this event. Was this a favor on the Secret Service? I mean, no. I mean, [1:09:11] what we have here is a multi-layered approach. The director spoke about it. We have officers on the [1:09:15] outside of the Metropolitan Police Department along with the escort. The inside portion of any [1:09:19] presidential site is handled by the Secret Service and law enforcement partners. This is a multi-layered [1:09:23] approach. The point of this checkpoint is to intercept individuals that were there, [1:09:27] and what we see in this case is, when he reached that checkpoint, Secret Service agents and law [1:09:31] enforcement engaged him immediately. They were able to bring him into custody and prevent anyone from [1:09:35] being harmed. Chief Carroll, can you tell us if you found a vehicle associated with the suspect, [1:09:42] and are you and the FBI collecting any search warrants either on a vehicle or locations here or elsewhere [1:09:47] around the country? Sure, Mark. So, as you can imagine, this is very early in the investigation. So, [1:09:52] you know, things we're taking into is his background, vehicles. Those are all things that the FBI, [1:09:56] the Metropolitan Police Department, and the Secret Service are working to get a joint to determine [1:10:00] is there anything else that's available. So, I would imagine as we continue to go through this [1:10:03] investigation, there will be additional search warrants and things of that nature as the [1:10:06] investigation progresses. Is this been known to law enforcement? At this point, he was not known to [1:10:11] the Metropolitan Police Department. I can tell you that. Right here. There are multiple other parties and events [1:10:17] happening associated with this weekend tonight. Is there any reason to believe that there will be security [1:10:21] concerns at those events? Are there preparations being made locally to protect those attendees? [1:10:26] Yeah, absolutely not. So, we have no indication. This is an isolated incident with one individual is [1:10:30] the information that we do have. However, we do have additional officers across the city that are [1:10:34] giving special attention. We do know there were some after parties and events that are planned that we [1:10:39] would be providing coverage for those events. Yep. The president said that this is not a particularly [1:10:45] secure building. Do you agree with that assessment? I'm not exactly 100% familiar with this building. I do [1:10:50] know in this incident tonight, I know there was a security plan that was developed by the Secret [1:10:54] Service that the Metropolitan Police Department assisted with, and I know that security plan did work this [1:10:59] evening. Right here. Thank you so much. Do you know specifically if President Trump was a target [1:11:04] attack? And can you speak to their reporting about the suspect assembling a long weapon to get into the [1:11:14] ballroom? Yes, as we said before, we do know the president was inside the ballroom. We know there [1:11:19] was cabinet members and many guests in there. Who specifically he was targeting at this point, [1:11:23] that's probably part of the investigation. We do know that he was armed with a shotgun when he ran [1:11:28] through that checkpoint. So that would look like a long weapon in video. All right, right here, [1:11:32] right here, right here. Did the suspect fire any shots? And did the uniformed officer, [1:11:40] do you know yet which weapon he was shot? Obviously, we're only a couple hours into this instance, [1:11:46] so we don't have that level of information. The FBI's evidence response team is here. They're [1:11:50] processing the scene. So as the investigation develops, all that information will be figured [1:11:54] out with the ballistics. The ATF is also on scene here with us. So the suspect did or did not fire [1:11:59] a shot? Sure. So again, it's very preliminary information. We do believe he did. However, [1:12:02] as the investigation determines, we'll pull the shell casings. We'll be able to get more information [1:12:06] as we review more evidence. We're very early in the investigation. All right, we can take a couple [1:12:10] more right here and right here and one more over here. Thank you so much. So the president said [1:12:16] that he wants there to be another event within 30 days. Given what happened tonight, do you have any [1:12:21] sense of what additional security measures might be put in place to ensure that something similar [1:12:26] does not happen again? Sure. I'll talk to the secret service. Yep. This is what we plan for every day. [1:12:33] So we take each and every case and we evaluate it and we do site assessments. And that's why we go out [1:12:39] and build these sites per what the event is. And that's how we go about our business. [1:12:46] Will there be any changes or added measures given that this didn't happen? [1:12:50] We're going to have to evaluate this evening. Thank you. [1:12:53] I understand. How does that suspect got into the hotel? What did a guest here? Are you searching anyone? [1:13:02] So preliminary information, we do believe he was a guest here at the hotel. We have secured a room here [1:13:06] in the hotel. And again, we'll go through the appropriate procedures to determine what was inside [1:13:11] there. But that is secure. At this point, like I said, we believe he is the only suspect in this case. [1:13:15] Okay. To jump on that question, I understand the multi-approach to security, which walk in with [1:13:21] a weapon like that caliber and get all the way to the ball, which is on the lower level seems to be [1:13:26] quite an extraordinary feat. How does that happen? Sure. So again, I mean, we're very early in the investigation. [1:13:32] So we'll have to determine, you know, we'll go through video across the hotel to figure out how [1:13:35] the gun got in, how it got down here. Those things will come through the investigation. [1:13:39] At this point, we don't have that level of detail. Okay. Last one. [1:13:42] Yes. There appears to show, video appears to show the president falling down during an escrow. [1:13:47] That was injured at all when he has evacuations. No, we don't have any information that he was injured. [1:13:53] All right. Sure. So law enforcement, yeah, law enforcement in the, in right here in this very [1:14:05] area, uh, they actually tapped into the ground and handcuffed them. [1:14:08] Can you give us his name? Not at this time. We will release his name, Mark, once we have all [1:14:14] information. Again, we're still running a lot of things down. How many people in the hospital? [1:14:18] In the hospital. So we have the uniform division secret service, uh, officer who's being evaluated [1:14:22] at the hospital, who took a round to the vest, uh, and the suspect is being evaluated, but he was [1:14:27] not struck by gunfire. You're looking at any terrorism charges. Well, as the chief just [1:14:33] indicated, we're very early in this investigation, but make no mistake, if there is anything like that, [1:14:39] we will find it and we will file it. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. [1:14:45] You've been listening to an update from law enforcement tonight, uh, a night that began [1:14:54] at the White House Correspondents' Center and ended with this, uh, potential act of political violence. [1:14:59] A gunman, 31 years old, running with a shotgun, a handgun, and multiple knives toward a room full [1:15:04] of journalists and the president of the United States, along with cabinet members as well. Uh, [1:15:09] we have charges. We just heard from the, uh, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, [1:15:14] Janine Pirro, assault on a federal officer, one count, uh, and one count of, uh, was it a firearms [1:15:21] charge, Matt? It was intent to commit violence with a weapon. Intent to commit violence with a weapon. [1:15:26] Now, those are preliminary charges to hold them tonight as this investigation continues. Uh, [1:15:31] they will almost certainly, uh, be upgraded, uh, from there. Uh, I'm also here, um, uh, what, [1:15:39] what stood out to you? Well, I think what stands out to me is the fact that this took place at, um, [1:15:46] at the Washington Hilton, which for people who don't know, uh, the White House Correspondents' [1:15:50] Center has taken place at that location for decades. It's right in the middle of D.C. [1:15:56] It's also colloquially unknown as the Hinckley Hilton because 45 years ago, there was an attempted [1:16:03] assassination outside of the hotel after an event, uh, by John Hinckley shooting at Ronald Reagan, [1:16:09] the president at the time. And the reason that the dinner takes place there and has for decades [1:16:13] is very simple. It is a very large hotel with a very large ballroom. Everyone's seen the pictures [1:16:19] by now. There are thousands of people in that room. It's one of the few hotels in the city that [1:16:25] can accommodate that many people. And as a result, it is not really logistically feasible, [1:16:31] or at least it hasn't been up until this point, to put the mags outside of the hotel and have people [1:16:36] go through the mags as they come into the hotel, because you've got lots of guests staying at that [1:16:40] hotel, um, who walk in and out as well. And so the mags were set up right outside the ballroom [1:16:47] itself, which is what apparently enabled this individual to get so close to the ballroom that [1:16:53] people who were sitting in the back actually heard the gunshots. And I want to point out something [1:16:59] else, Tony, which is that I was surrounded by a bunch of people who had already been through the [1:17:05] shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, the attempted assassination there. And they were sort of plunged [1:17:10] right back into that moment. I'm not just talking about journalists, but officials as well, [1:17:14] who, as we were, uh, cowering under the tables, you could tell that they were experiencing some form of [1:17:19] PTSD because that in and of itself was a traumatic event that they were now revisiting. [1:17:24] Yeah. It's a remarkable situation here. We heard the president in an earlier press conference, [1:17:28] uh, talk about events like this being something that comes with the territory. And we have a list [1:17:35] we can just make on the back of an envelope of the number of major political figures and major figures [1:17:40] in public life who have faced incidents like this. It's a remarkable fact, I imagine now we can now, [1:17:45] uh, about our country at this moment in time that this does come with the territory. Go ahead. [1:17:52] We have become accustomed at this point to political violence happening with shocking frequency. [1:17:58] Um, and I think one of the things that we have seen is that this happens time and again. However, [1:18:04] and I think we just heard this in the press conference, what the USS, uh, secret service, [1:18:09] uh, chief Sean Curran described as the multi-layer protection worked. We don't know that president [1:18:16] Trump was the target this time, but there were many layers of protection. And as we saw that alleged [1:18:23] assassin, that suspect did not manage to penetrate even the room. So whatever was there, police, [1:18:29] secret service, DHS, the system appeared to have been able to catch this assailant before he made it [1:18:36] into the room. And on that point, it's a success. But it's interesting, the president has, has had a [1:18:40] few different messages on the subject of security. On the one hand, thanking the law enforcement for [1:18:45] the protective action they took. But on the other hand, saying the room wasn't particularly secure. [1:18:49] On the other hand, saying this is why we need the ballroom. So on this question of security, [1:18:54] the preliminary and the, and the proactive, let's go to CBS news security contributor, Sam Vinograd, [1:18:59] who's also with us at another location in the DC bureau. Uh, Sam, if you can hear me, take it away. [1:19:05] Certainly, Tony. And when these law enforcement officials reference a multi-layered security [1:19:10] posture, what that means is there are various stages of physical security to try to prevent [1:19:16] an individual from the first instance, getting into the facility and then getting closer to the [1:19:22] protectees. And that's why the magnetometers were the last line of defense, if you will, [1:19:27] before the ballroom. But the security planning for this event starts weeks prior to it actually [1:19:33] happening. The U.S. Secret Service is in the lead for the security planning for this event, [1:19:38] and does weekly countdown meetings, daily calls with all the various law enforcement agencies that are [1:19:45] involved, as well as a private security that's there protecting other individuals present on the [1:19:50] site. There are physical security preparations made, as well as a very broad and deep sweep of [1:19:57] intelligence information. I will note, if this individual was in fact a lone gunman who was not [1:20:03] known to law enforcement, it is more than likely that intelligence just wouldn't have done the trick. [1:20:08] And what that brings us to, Tony, is real questions about the screening of individuals that were allowed [1:20:14] into the hotel, uh, and whether — and what the coordination was like between the hotel and the [1:20:19] law enforcement officials present on site. The last thing I'll say is that right now, [1:20:24] law enforcement officials at all levels of government are conducting digital, forensic, [1:20:29] and visual analysis to try to ascertain this individual's profile, as well as his travel [1:20:35] patterns. And that will take some time, likely before we get further information on motive, [1:20:40] travel patterns, how long this was planned, and if there were any red flags along the way. [1:20:45] All right, Sam Vinograd, uh, thank you very much. We also have CBS News Homeland Security [1:20:50] correspondent Nicole Skanga with us. She was in the room, along with the three of us, [1:20:54] and is now outside with reactions. She's been listening along. Nicole, good evening. [1:21:00] Good evening, Tony. We know that the suspect here, Cole Allen, was a teacher [1:21:05] from Southern California, and police are saying here this was an isolated incident. That's important, [1:21:12] believing that he acted alone, but also making clear that they are currently searching [1:21:17] his hotel room. And I really want to underscore that point because it points to planning that [1:21:22] this individual must have gone through in order to secure a hotel room at the Washington Hilton. It's [1:21:29] part of the reason investigators believe that he was able to get not one but multiple firearms. We're [1:21:37] told he had a handgun and a shotgun on his person. He was shot several times right now. He is at [1:21:43] Howard University Hospital in custody where Secret Service and MPD are. MPD, of course, on the site, [1:21:50] took him into custody and delivered him to the hospital. He now faces two charges, as we've been [1:21:56] talking about, the weapons charge and, of course, assault on a law enforcement officer. To Sam's point, [1:22:02] it seems like law enforcement had very little on this individual prior to tonight. It'll be interesting [1:22:09] to see whether or not the Washington Hilton does any sort of screening or background checks [1:22:14] for guests that are in this close of proximity to the president, many secretaries. We are also told [1:22:21] that he was in a full sprint when he reached the magnetometers, that he was able to get past the [1:22:29] magnetometers. But it was at that point that law enforcement engaged him, that he opened fire, [1:22:35] of course, hitting one Secret Service agent who took one round to his bulletproof vest and at that [1:22:41] point returned fire, neutralizing the suspect. Just want to point out, I've been talking to Secret [1:22:46] Service all night. This is an event where they have dozens, if not hundreds of personnel on scene, [1:22:52] along with Metropolitan Police Department. We know that FBI also had a presence, [1:22:57] an enormous law enforcement footprint, certainly a challenging event to secure, [1:23:03] but one that they've had to do for many, many, many years. And I think there are going to be a lot [1:23:07] of questions going forward about how this man was able to get so close to such a high profile event [1:23:14] in Washington. Nicole, thank you very much. It is 1130 in the East, 830 on the West Coast. If you're [1:23:21] just joining us, we are interrupting normal programming because the evening of the president of the United [1:23:27] States was interrupted in a potential act of political violence against a room full of journalists, [1:23:32] politicians, cabinet members, and the president himself. I'm in a tuxedo because I was there. [1:23:37] The president had a press conference not long ago addressing what just happened. And what we know [1:23:44] at this hour is a 31-year-old charged a security checkpoint at the Hilton in Washington, D.C. here [1:23:51] with a handgun, a shotgun, and multiple knives. The Secret Service and other law enforcement engaged him [1:23:58] and arrested him. According to a press conference with law enforcement, he was not struck with gunfire [1:24:04] himself, but he did get off a round that hit the protective vest of a Secret Service member who [1:24:10] is now recovering and is expected to recover. The individual handcuffed on your screen right now [1:24:16] is a matter of yards from the entrance to the ballroom where we all were and maybe another 100, [1:24:22] 150 yards across the ballroom to where the president was. We've been reflecting on what happened and also [1:24:28] the context in which it happened. A moment in this nation's history where it seems very frequently [1:24:34] we are talking about political violence. An offhand list includes a half dozen or more names, [1:24:39] just the top of mind, major figures from public life and political life who have faced acts of [1:24:45] violence. And then remarkably, in this room where the gunman was charging, you have people who [1:24:50] themselves have already been victimized by political violence. Steve Scalise, the majority leader. [1:24:56] You have Erica Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk. And of course, you have the president himself. [1:25:03] I'm here with Chief Correspondent Matt Gutman and Nancy Cordes, Chief White House Correspondent. [1:25:07] You were both in the room as well. Nancy, for people who were just tuning in, [1:25:11] this was a solid course. Everything was going normal and then it wasn't. [1:25:15] Right. We saw men in suits start charging down the aisle of this massive ballroom shouting, [1:25:22] get down, get down. Those of us who were in the front of the ballroom didn't hear any gunshots. We [1:25:27] just got right underneath the tables. And then within a few minutes, this amazing sight of various [1:25:33] security details for all the White House officials and cabinet members who were in the room finding [1:25:39] those officials. They knew where they sat and whisking them out of the room. We know from our [1:25:45] reporting that the president was held at the hotel for quite a while after the incident. And he wanted [1:25:52] to come back out and deliver his speech until the Secret Service told him he could not. And I think it's [1:25:57] fair to say, based on the press conference he gave a short time ago, he's defiant tonight. He is calling [1:26:03] for this dinner to be rescheduled within the next 30 days. He said that he fought like hell to stay. [1:26:10] I don't like to let these sick people change the fabric of our lives. And on a lighter note, [1:26:16] Tony, he said, I had a very inappropriate speech planned. This dinner is supposed to involve [1:26:23] some roasting between the president and the press. And that was what was planned for tonight until [1:26:30] things took a much different turn. Matt, you went right into reporter mode as the Secret Service went [1:26:35] in, moved to evacuate key members of the administration. I saw you filming. I saw you [1:26:39] trailing after security. What did you see? I saw them, as Nancy just said, bundling off one VIP [1:26:45] cabinet member after another. It was pretty methodical. But there were definitely two distinct [1:26:52] experiences in the room. Those in the front of the room, near the podium, the dais where the [1:26:56] president was sitting. We weren't quite sure what happened. It was a clattering of plates, [1:27:00] as the president said, that alerted everybody to the significant trouble. And then the swarming of DHS [1:27:06] and Secret Service. And the people in the back of the room, they distinctly heard gunshots. They [1:27:11] smelled gunpowder wafting through the doors. And then they saw the Secret Service, DHS and other [1:27:18] law enforcement agencies, bursting through the doors, getting everybody down. In the front, [1:27:22] we weren't quite clear what was going on. I followed some of those security service police, [1:27:26] or whoever they were, saying, police, police, go through the crowd, parting the crowd, running to [1:27:32] the elevator where the president was, just down. And they grabbed a medical bag. And I think they took [1:27:38] it up to where the gunman was and where that Secret Service member was down. But obviously, [1:27:42] a massively chaotic moment. I think one of the distinctive elements here [1:27:46] is how quickly we know many things about this investigation. It's less than three hours in. [1:27:51] We have charges. We know who the suspect is. We know where he is from. There is video of him [1:27:57] charging into this. So this is unfolding more quickly than I think any investigation in recent [1:28:02] memory, because this was so very public in front of more journalists than I think have ever been [1:28:07] witness to a potential act of political violence. No shortage of witnesses. And we'll go to another one [1:28:12] right now, senior White House and political correspondent Ed O'Keefe, who was also in the [1:28:15] room and then rushed off to the White House to cover the president's press conference. Ed, good evening. [1:28:21] Tony, what is so striking is that Matt and I were sitting at a table with majority leader Steve [1:28:26] Scalise, who had just completed telling us about his health journey since the assassination attempt [1:28:33] against him a few years ago and suggested that he has cheated death twice in his life between that [1:28:39] and a cancer scare more recently. And literally, as he finished that story, we heard the plates crash [1:28:47] in the back of the room and and then, you know, everything else unfold as it did. And I think the [1:28:53] the irony and the frustration some of us had in the moment was here we are paid to understand what [1:28:59] the president's up to and what's going on. And it was very hard to figure that out because they were [1:29:04] trying to secure the hotel and ensure that there wasn't someone else either in the room or in the [1:29:08] building that could have tried to do something similar. We should point out from here at the [1:29:13] White House, the president is back here. The first lady obviously was rushed here with much of the [1:29:18] cabinet reporters who walked or I saw some using e-scooters to get from that hotel. I did not do that, [1:29:26] but others took the scooters down here to get in. The Secret Service was in essence doing a double [1:29:31] ID check as you came in towards the complex to ensure that those that really can be here were here. [1:29:37] And many of us dressed like we are, you know, at the dinner and then came out here. He is expected [1:29:43] to be here tomorrow as scheduled for meetings. Obviously, there's the war with Iran. There are [1:29:49] preparations this White House is making for the state visit of King Charles and Queen Camilla that [1:29:53] starts on Monday and obviously a host of other challenges he will face. And there will be a big [1:29:58] conversation as he alluded to tonight in talking to reporters about his own movements, what can be [1:30:04] done with him on the outside, how can he travel going forward into buildings like the one he was in [1:30:09] tonight, a one that the Secret Service and this city knows so well and of course has been the site of [1:30:14] violence before against the president. So no other word yet though here from the White House about any [1:30:19] changes to his plans for tomorrow, but a big few days ahead. Yeah, a big day it was and we will learn [1:30:24] a lot more tomorrow. Ed O'Keefe, thank you very much. To recap, a California man is in custody following [1:30:29] a shooting at the White House correspondent's dinner. The president, vice president and members of the [1:30:34] cabinet were rushed out of the dinner. Everyone is safe. At this time, we do not know who the target was [1:30:41] or what the motive was. U.S. attorney Janine Pirro said the suspect will be charged with at least two [1:30:47] counts of firearms and assault charges. Our coverage on this matter will continue tomorrow [1:30:52] on Face the Nation and CBS Sunday morning. For those of you on the West Coast, your late local [1:30:57] news will pick up now. This has been a CBS News special report. I'm Tony DeCoppo in Washington.