For the third time, US President Donald Trump narrowly escaped a threat to his life, this time during the White House Correspondents' Association dinner at the Washington Hilton hotel on Saturday night.
The dramatic security scare took place when a gunman allegedly opened fire at a Secret Service checkpoint inside the hotel, triggering panic and forcing Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, and senior cabinet officials to be rushed to safety by Secret Service agents.
After nearly two hours, Trump addressed the nation from the White House, calling the incident "very unexpected."
Trump also confirmed that the Secret Service agent who was shot was protected by his bulletproof vest and remained in "good shape."
During the briefing, Fox News reporter Peter Doocy asked, "Respectfully, why do you think this keeps happening to you?"
"Well, you know, I've studied assassinations," Trump responded. "And I must tell you the most impactful people, the people that do the most -- you take a look at Abraham Lincoln... the people that make the biggest impact, they're the ones that they go after."
He added, "I hate to say I'm honoured by that, but I've done a lot. We've changed this country, and there are a lot of people who are not happy about that. So I think that's the answer."
The president further spoke about living under constant threat. "I lead a pretty normal life, considering, you know, it's a dangerous life," he said. "A lot of other people, you know, you read stories where they become basket cases. To be honest, I'm not a basket case."
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The event marked Trump’s first attendance at the prestigious dinner since 2015, after previously boycotting it throughout his first term.
Meanwhile, US Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Sunday that Trump and top administration officials were the likely targets of the suspect, who allegedly fired a shotgun before being overpowered and arrested.
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The suspect is expected to face federal charges including assaulting a federal officer, discharging a firearm, and attempting to kill a federal officer.
He added that authorities were still investigating the motive and had not confirmed whether there was any connection to Iran.
The president has survived two previous attempts on his life since 2024, a period of deepening political polarization in the United States.