A stunned Washington faced searching questions about political violence and gun control on Sunday after shots were fired at a prestigious media gala attended by Donald Trump and senior White House officials.

A man targeted a Secret Service agent at a security checkpoint in the Washington Hilton hotel the previous night before being tackled and arrested. Trump and Melania Trump were rushed out of the annual White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) dinner as guests dived for cover under tables.

The chaotic events raised fresh questions about the security of top officials, many of whom were gathered in the hotel’s expansive ballroom. Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general, told NBC’s Meet the Press programme: “It does appear that he did in fact, have set out to target folks that work in the administration, likely including the president.”

The brazen assault at the Hilton – the same hotel where then president Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981 – also occurred against a backdrop of surging political violence and an epidemic of gun violence in the US.

Trump himself has often been criticised as an accelerant of vitriolic and incendiary discourse. Over the past 10 years he has called on a crowd to “knock the crap out” of protesters, urged supporters to “fight like hell” following his 2020 election defeat and mused that crime could be ended in “one really violent day” if police were allowed to be “extraordinarily rough” without fear of retribution.

Speaking from the White House briefing room on Saturday, while still in black-tie attire, the president characterised the gunman as a “very sick person” and a “lone wolf, whack job”, adding: “These are crazy people, and they have to be dealt with.”

When pressed by a reporter on whether political violence has simply become the cost of doing business in modern America, the president said with an air of resignation: “It’s a dangerous profession.”

But such a notion prompted fresh soul searching among Washington’s political class. Lanhee Chen, a fellow at the Hoover Institution thinktank in Stanford, California, told Meet the Press: “Political violence does seem to have become a part of doing business but it should not be normal. It should not be normalised and that is something we should not lose sight of. And ultimately, it is incumbent upon public leaders to set the right tone.

“I thought the president did that in his press conference last night. I think it’s important for others to follow suit. But ultimately, we should not say that, ‘Hey, we’re used to this. It’s America. It’s happened before.’ Somebody has to draw the line. And we’ve seen this too many times now.”

Over the past decade the US has been left reeling by a shooting at a congressional baseball practice, a deadly white supremacist march in Charlottesville, the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol, two assassination attempts against Trump, and the killings of the former Minnesota house speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, and the rightwing activist Charlie Kirk. Threats to members of Congress are at a record high with some hiring private security guards.

On Sunday, Jamie Raskin, a Democratic congressman who found himself shielding Kerry Kennedy – a woman whose own father and uncle were victims of historic assassinations – decried the normalisation of violence, linking the latest incident to the broader epidemic of mass shootings in schools and communities.

Raskin told CNN’s State of the Union: “We have not dealt with the problem and we’re losing thousands of people a year to gun violence. There are 100 people shot every day. So, yesterday, while that nightmare was going on at the White House Correspondents’ ball, dozens of people had been shot across the country.

“And we just accept that as the normal course of business. So I think, before we get back to all the political divisions and fighting about stuff, maybe this could be a moment of unity for trying to focus on the things that the vast majority of the American people want, like a universal violent criminal background check.”

America has more guns, and more phones, than people. The Trump administration has faced criticism for dismantling gun safety and mental health investments that had bipartisan support.

Thom Tillis, a Republican senator, told the Meet the Press: “The amplifier and the instigator of social media is able to really target vulnerable people. In many cases, we’re seeing people who are committing these horrible acts have behavioural health and other challenges – stability issues in their lives. And now we have platforms that can focus on them as state actors, terrorist organisations fomenting hate in this country.”

The suspect, identified by law enforcement as 31-year-old Cole Allen of Torrance, California, charged a security checkpoint located on the lobby level, one floor above the main ballroom, before being subdued. He was carrying a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives. A uniformed Secret Service officer took a bullet to the chest, his life saved only by his ballistic vest.

The suspect will be charged in federal court on Monday with assault of a federal officer, discharging a firearm and attempting to kill a federal officer. A focus of the investigation is likely to be how he was able to smuggle the shotgun into the hotel.

Meanwhile the British embassy in Washington, which is preparing for King Charles’s visit to Washington starting on Monday, said in a statement that discussions were taking place on whether the incident may affect planning for the visit.

John Cohen, a former acting Department of Homeland Security undersecretary for intelligence, told ABC’s This Week: “This is the most volatile, complex and dangerous threat environment I’ve experienced in the 42-plus years that I’ve been involved in law enforcement and homeland security.

“We’re an angry, polarised nation. We have a growing number of people, particularly young males, who believe that violence is the only way to express their sense of grievance or their opposition to the current political conditions in this country. They are inspired and increasingly informed by content that they consume online that’s placed there by terrorist groups, foreign intelligence services and others, specifically for the purposes of inspiring and inciting violence.”

Asiye Yilmaz

The suspected gunman involved in a shooting incident during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, DC, on Saturday evening was a guest at the hotel where the event was held, police said.

Jeffrey Carroll, interim chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, said authorities are still working to determine the suspect’s motive and intended target, noting the individual was not previously known to law enforcement.

Carroll said the suspect charged a security checkpoint armed with a shotgun, as well as a handgun and multiple knives. He added that the suspect was not struck by gunfire and was taken to a hospital for evaluation.

Law enforcement has secured a hotel room linked to the suspect and is conducting searches to determine its contents, he said.

Officials believe the individual acted alone, with no other suspects identified at this stage, according to CBS News.

US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump were evacuated from the annual event at the Washington Hilton, and were unharmed.

Trump said one person was in custody after the incident. He described the suspect as a “very sick person” and a “thug” who had attacked the US Constitution.

Others in attendance included Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

WTOP / Jimmy Alexander

WTOP / Jimmy Alexander

WTOP / Jimmy Alexander

WTOP / Jimmy Alexander

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Former Washington Commanders wide receiver Santana Moss spent Saturday morning running drills, greeting families and encouraging young athletes at a clinic for children with special needs.

The event held at Ballou High School in Southeast D.C. was hosted by Moss’ 89 Ways to Give Foundation in partnership with Health Services for Children with Special Needs.

“We’ve got a bunch of kids out here going through drills,” Moss said. “I’m here to make sure they have a great time.”

Between stations, Moss stopped to shake hands, pose for selfies and talk with participants and their families.

“You can come out and make a difference. Make an impact with just your presence,” he said.

Organizers said the clinic was designed to give children a chance to learn the basics, build confidence and have fun in a supportive environment.

Ashley Young, who helped plan the event, said creating opportunities for children with disabilities is personal to her.

“Even though my child doesn’t have a disability, being able to work with kids who do and put on events like this means a lot to me,” Young said.

Moss said the clinic was about more than football fundamentals. He said he wants kids to leave believing they can succeed well beyond the field.

“I always tell them, if you can touch me, you can be me,” Moss said. “It’s not necessarily about being a football player it’s about being successful in life.”

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