Washington: US President Donald Trump on Sunday described the suspect behind the foiled attack at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner as “a sick guy” and said early warnings about the individual may not have reached authorities in time.
“The guy is a sick guy, when you read his manifesto. He hates Christians, that’s one thing for sure… and I think his sister or his brother actually was complaining about it. They were even complaining to law enforcement. He was a very troubled guy,” Trump said in a Fox News interview.
The President indicated that he had only learned of prior alerts after the incident. “I heard about the London situation, and I wish they would have told us about it a little bit, but… it is what it is,” he said.
Trump said the response by the Secret Service and other agencies prevented the attacker from getting close to the venue. “They stopped them cold. And there was no games being played, that I can tell you,” he said.
He described the rapid intervention in vivid terms. “He came in running like he was an NFL running back. Frankly, he was very fast, and they just stopped him cold. And there was no question. He never even came close to getting by the doors or getting through the doors,” Trump said.
The President emphasised the multiple layers of protection at the event, noting that even if the suspect had breached the initial perimeter, additional security personnel were in place inside. “There were so many people in there, too, also security. And you have to go through a lot of layers,” he said.
“They did really a good job. I was very satisfied with it. So were most other people,” Trump added.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt earlier said the incident disrupted what “was supposed to be a fun night” celebrating free speech, alleging the suspect “sought to assassinate the President and kill as many top Trump administration officials as possible.”
“I was with President Trump and the First Lady backstage after we were quickly ushered to safety by Secret Service,” she said, adding that “this political violence needs to end.”
Leavitt also praised law enforcement, highlighting “the brave agent who took a bullet to the chest and immediately moved to neutralise the shooter.”
Trump said he hoped the correspondents’ dinner could be rescheduled soon despite the disruption. “I hope that we can have it within a short period of time… because we can’t let these criminals, and these really bad people change the course of events in our country,” he said.
He also pointed to plans for enhanced security infrastructure at the White House complex. “We’re building a big, beautiful, very, very secure ballroom… You need drone-proofing, you need everything… The location’s on the White House grounds, which is the most secure, probably, in the world… and this is mostly for future presidents,” Trump said.
The White House Correspondents’ Association dinner is one of Washington’s highest-profile annual gatherings, bringing together journalists, officials and public figures.
(IANS)
