Trump appeared on national television Sunday to address the third assassination threat of his current term, speaking at length about the gunman who attempted to enter the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington on Saturday night before being quickly subdued by security. In a wide-ranging interview, the president described the suspect as someone who had undergone a dramatic personal transformation and pushed back directly against accusations contained in a written manifesto the shooter reportedly left behind.
The incident occurred just after 8:30 p.m. Saturday outside the ballroom of the Washington Hilton hotel, where the annual press dinner was underway. It was the third time in three years that a threat of this nature had been directed at the sitting president during his current term in office.
What Trump said about the gunman and the manifesto
The president said he had read the manifesto and characterized the suspect as radicalized, describing someone who had moved away from a Christian faith he once held toward views that were fundamentally at odds with that background. When asked specifically about a passage in the document that accused him of sexual offenses against children, Trump rejected the characterization entirely, saying the accusations had nothing to do with him and that he had been fully exonerated of any wrongdoing. He also stated that he had no connection to Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier whose name has surfaced repeatedly in association with broader misconduct allegations.
Trump said he believed the climate of political protests and anti-administration rhetoric contributed to an atmosphere in which individuals become radicalized toward violence. He pointed specifically to a recent wave of demonstrations as an example of the kind of charged public sentiment he believes creates dangerous conditions.
Details emerging about the suspect
Authorities identified the suspect in custody as a 31-year-old man from Torrance, California. Law enforcement conducted an overnight search at an address linked to him in the state. His professional background, based on publicly available information, included mechanical engineering, computer science, and independent software development.
According to the acting United States attorney general, the suspect traveled from Los Angeles to Washington by train, checked into the hotel where the dinner was being held, and arrived with two firearms and a stated plan to target members of the Trump administration. Investigators have spoken with witnesses who knew the suspect and say they have reviewed writings connected to him.
The suspect faces two counts of using a firearm during a crime of violence and one count of assaulting a law enforcement officer with a dangerous weapon. An arraignment is scheduled for Monday.
Trump on political violence and the presidency
Asked about the broader pattern of threats against him, Trump said political violence is not a new phenomenon in American history and that the risk is, in his view, an inherent part of holding the office. He said he was not convinced the current level of threat is meaningfully higher than what previous presidents faced in earlier eras, framing the danger as something presidents have always been required to accept.
He made similar remarks at a press conference on Saturday night, saying the presidency is a dangerous profession and that threats of this kind come with the role. The comments reflected the same measured public posture Trump has maintained following each of the previous attempts during his current term.
