White House to review Trump’s security after gunfire near press dinner

By Bo Erickson and Jacob Bogage

WASHINGTON, April 27 (Reuters) – The White House is reviewing security protocols this week following Saturday’s shooting at a Washington hotel where President Donald Trump and top officials were attending a dinner, the administration said on Monday.

The third major security incident targeting Trump in less than two years occurred as he prepares for a summer packed with high-profile public events, testing the Secret Service at a moment of high political and global tensions.

Chief of Staff Susie Wiles will meet with leaders of the U.S. Secret Service and the Department of Homeland Security to discuss security operations for major events involving Trump, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Monday, adding that security changes are under consideration.

“We’re always looking for ways to improve security,” Leavitt said. “I think if you just sit here and say everything is perfect all the time, that’s not a good way to operate.”

Leavitt also said officials will discuss whether the president and vice president should attend the same events, adding that conversations about the line of presidential succession took place before the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on Saturday.

While the event drew Vice President JD Vance, cabinet members and top congressional leaders such as U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, Leavitt said officials determined that a “designated survivor” was not necessary because several cabinet officials did not attend.

Leavitt said Trump is standing by the Secret Service leadership following the shooting outside the Washington Hilton ballroom where the dinner was being held.

TRUMP’S SECURITY ALREADY TIGHTENED AFTER INCIDENTS 

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in interviews that Trump and other administration officials were the likely intended targets of the suspect, a California man who was expected in court on Monday to face felony charges. 

The 31-year-old is suspected of firing a shotgun at a Secret Service agent at a checkpoint one floor up from the ballroom entrance before being tackled and arrested. Trump ‌and first lady Melania Trump were rushed out of the dinner.

 In July 2024, a sniper’s bullet skimmed Trump’s ear during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. Two months later, Secret Service agents spotted an armed man hiding in bushes a few hundred yards from where Trump was golfing in Florida.

Since then, security around Trump has tightened, and his security detail uses bulletproof glass when he speaks at outdoor events.

Wiles’ meeting will examine Saturday’s security response and measures to keep future events safe, a senior White House official told Reuters on Monday. Trump is expected to attend events this summer for the nation’s 250th anniversary and the soccer World Cup.

Trump told reporters that the first lady had found Saturday’s incident traumatic. Nevertheless, the couple was continuing with plans to welcome Britain’s King Charles and Queen Camilla on Monday for several days of events. 

After the shooting, Trump praised the security response and said the security concerns were more justification to continue building his East Wing ballroom.

Asked if he was satisfied with his protection, he said: “I’d be up here right now saying they didn’t do their job,” adding: “Believe me, because, you know, it’s my life.”

(Reporting by Bo Erickson and Jacob Bogage; Editing by Colleen Jenkins, Kevin Liffey and Lisa Shumaker)