Featured Image Credit: Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Topics: Donald Trump, US News
Thomas Bamford
Topics: Donald Trump, US News
When shots erupted at the 2026 White House Correspondent's Dinner, it sent the high-profile gathering of American political life into immediate chaos.
President Donald Trump and other senior ranking officials were whisked away in a matter of seconds by the Secret Service.
Footage from inside the Washington Hilton that night captures the scene as it unfolded, with more than 2,000 guests gathered together, completely unaware of what was about to happen.
The suspected attacker, identified by law enforcement sources as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, from Torrance, California, stormed past a security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton allegedly armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives.
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One secret service agent was shot in the chest and saved by his bullet resistant vest.
In the aftermath of the incident, body language expert Darren Stanton has been analyzing the footage of the moment the shots rang out to share his breakdown of Trump's reaction.
Darren said: "‘He was in discussion with someone at the time the shots went off and what was interesting was there wasn’t the slightest flinch from him.
"He either has nerves of steel or just wasn’t aware of it."
Darren said it was clear he didn't have much idea of what was going on until the Secret Service got to him.
He continued: "The first movement he made that suggested he knew something was going on was when the Secret Service got to him.
"In other videos I have seen that were closer up, he again didn’t react at all. This definitely shows he was totally unaware, because no matter how strong you are, you jump at a gunshot.
"Even when the Secret Service got to him, he just furrowed his brow in confusion. He seemed to have no idea there were any gunshots."
Allen was tackled, uninjured and is due in federal court today on firearm and assault charges.
Trump later held a press conference describing Allen as a 'sick guy' with a 'lot of hatred in his heart', confirming the suspect had left a manifesto described as 'strongly anti-Christian.'
Reports also suggest Allen had sent a note to his family shortly before the attack expressing outrage at the administration, stating his intention to target officials from the highest ranking to the lowest.
Trump has since confirmed the dinner will be rescheduled within the next thirty days, promising it will be bigger than ever.
And he's not the only one who had a lucky escape. Trump promised that he was all set to unleash 'the most inappropriate speech ever' in the press conference after the shooting.
He said: "I was all set to really rip it and I said to my people, this would really be the most inappropriate speech to give - so I’ll have to save it.
"I don’t know if I can ever be as rough as I was going to be tonight.
"I think I’ll probably be very boring and nice next time. We’re going to have a great event.”