DC Shooting Puts Focus on Security Gaps

The latest assassination attempt will likely force Secret Service to revamp operations, experts said.
DC Shooting Puts Focus on Security Gaps
Guests are escorted out after a shooting incident at the White House Correspondents' Dinner on April 25, 2026. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Emel Akan
Emel Akan
Senior Reporter
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WASHINGTON—The attempted assassination of President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on April 25 has raised fresh questions about the adequacy of presidential protection and exposed significant security flaws at the event, held at the Washington Hilton hotel.

Surveillance footage shows the suspect, identified as Cole Allen, 31, sprinting through a security checkpoint in an attempt to reach the hotel ballroom, while security officers appear to be disassembling metal detectors.

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Emel Akan is a senior White House correspondent for The Epoch Times, where she covers the policies of the Trump administration. Previously, she reported on the Biden administration and the first term of President Trump. Before her journalism career, she worked in investment banking at JPMorgan. She holds an MBA from Georgetown University.
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