🔴 Live: France's Macron says shooter attack at Trump media dinner 'unacceptable'
Issued on: 26/04/2026 - 10:52Modified: 26/04/2026 - 12:30
Share By: FRANCE 24
French President Emmanuel Macron said Sunday that the shooting attack targeting US President Donald Trump at the annual dinner of the White House Correspondents’ Association on Saturday was ‘unacceptable’, joining a chorus of condemnation from world leaders. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.
26/04/2026 - 12:30What we know about the suspect in White House press dinner shooting
Authorities have identified 31-year-old Cole Thomas Allen as the man accused of opening fire outside the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, DC. Armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives, the suspect was subdued at the scene as investigators work to determine his motive and how he breached security.
26/04/2026 - 11:53The White House has reposted a video originally shared by Trump on social media showing CCTV footage of the suspect charging past agents standing guard at a security checkpoint in the Hilton hotel.
26/04/2026 - 11:43LA teacher taken into custody over gala shooting
Police identified Californian teacher Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California as the primary suspect for the shooting at the annual White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday.
FRANCE 24's Loic Pialat reports from Los Angeles.
26/04/2026 - 11:30Lebanon's Aoun expresses 'solidarity' with Trump after attack
26/04/2026 - 11:23US presidency 'dangerous profession' Trump says after latest attack
Saturday’s attack was the latest in a series of threats to the US President's life.
Trump narrowly escaped an assassination attempt that left him wounded in his upper ear in Butler, Pennsylvania, in 2024.
Just over two months later Secret Service agents spotted a man wielding a gun and hiding in bushes at a Florida golf club while Trump was on the course.
Watch more in FRANCE 24's video below.
26/04/2026 - 11:13France's Macron says attack at Trump media dinner 'unacceptable'
26/04/2026 - 11:09Secret service agent struck in vest released from hospital
A secret service agent who was struck in the chest by gunfire the at a checkpoint in the Washington Hilton hotel has been released from hospital, officials said.
The attacker fired a shotgun at the agent before being tackled and arrested.
Trump told reporters at briefing at the White House that the officer was saved by his bulletproof vest and was in "good shape” but had been taken to hospital.
US Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi later confirmed the officer had been released.
26/04/2026 - 11:02Mexico’s Sheinbaum says violence ‘never the way’
The Mexican president wrote on X that "it is good that President Trump and his wife are safe following the recent events. We send them our respect."
"Violence must never be the way," Sheinbaum added.
26/04/2026 - 10:59Israel’s Netanyahu shocked by ‘attempted assassination’ of Trump
The Israeli prime minister said he and his wife Sara "were shocked by the attempted assassination" of Trump.
There has been no confirmation that the shooter was specifically planning an assassination attempt on the President. CBS news reported that the suspect told law enforcement he wanted to shoot Trump administration officials.
"We are relieved that the President and the First Lady are safe and strong," Netanyahu wrote on X.
"We send our wishes for a full and speedy recovery to the wounded police officer and salute the US Secret Service for their swift and decisive action."
26/04/2026 - 10:57- UK's Starmer 'shocked' by shooting at Trump media dinner
- Secret service agent struck in vest released from hospital
- France's Macron says attack at Trump media dinner 'unacceptable'
Canada’s Carney ‘relieved’ Trump and other guests are safe
The Canadian prime minister said he was "relieved that the President, the First Lady, and all guests are safe."
"Political violence has no place in any democracy and my thoughts are with all those who have been shaken by this disturbing event," Carney wrote on X.
Could attack impact relations between the Trump administration and the press?
Trump was expected to give a pugnacious speech to journalists attending Saturday's event, reflective of the often strained relations between his administration and the media. But the President said he would rethink his tone in the wake of Saturday's attack, at a rescheduled dinner expected to take place next month.
FRANCE 24's Fraser Jackson reports from Washington.
26/04/2026 - 10:44UK's Starmer 'shocked' by shooting at Trump media dinner
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was "shocked" by a shooting at a Washington media gala and that it was "a huge relief" that Trump and others attending were safe.
"Any attack on democratic institutions or on the freedom of the press must be condemned in the strongest possible terms," the British leader said on X.
The shooting late Saturday came less than 48 hours before King Charles III arrives in Washington for a state visit.
26/04/2026 - 10:43What do we know about the suspected shooter?
Trump shared photos of the suspected shooter, shirtless and in handcuffs facedown on a carpeted floor, in what appears to be the Hilton lobby.
Law enforcement personnel detain Cole Tomas Allen, a suspect in the shooting incident at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner, in Washington DC on April 25, 2026. (© Donald J Trump, Truth Social via Reuters)
Authorities later confirmed the suspect was a 31-year-old named Cole Tomas Allen from Torrance, California.
"My impression is he was a lone wolf," Trump said.
Allen told law enforcement following his arrest that he wanted to shoot Trump administration officials, CBS News reported on Sunday, citing two sources.
Social media profile's showed Allen is a mechanical engineer, computer scientist, game developer and teacher.
C2 Education, a test-prep company, named Allen as "teacher of the month" in an Instagram post dated December 2024.
26/04/2026 - 10:38Watch the moment the Secret Service swarm the Hilton banquet hall
As a gunman rushed a Secret Service checkpoint in a lobby at the Washington Hilton, inside the ballroom, tactical security teams with guns drawn took position on the stage where Trump was seated alongside his wife Melania, Vice President JD Vance and other officials, who were swiftly evacuated.
Hundreds of guests in black tie in the ballroom took cover under tables.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP, REUTERS)
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