Trump says he ‘wanted to see what was happening’ as Secret Service rushed him to safety amid gunfire at White House Correspondents’ Dinner: Live updates

President Donald Trump told CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell that he may have slowed the Secret Service’s response after shots were fired on Saturday night.

In a clip of an interview that is set to air on ’60 Minutes’ tonight, Trump recounted how he ‘wanted to see what was happening.’

‘And I wasn’t going to make it that easy for them, I wanted to see what was going on,’ he said of the Secret Service.

But soon, he said, security ‘started to realize maybe it was a bad problem… different from [the] normal noise that you hear from a ballroom, which you hear all the time.

‘I was surrounded by great people and I probably made them act a little bit more sluggish,’ he continued. ‘I said, “Wait a minute, wait a minute, let me see.”‘

Trump said he then started walking with the agents out of the ballroom.

He said they were about halfway out when agents told him and First Lady Melania Trump to ‘Please go down to the floor, please go down to floor.’

‘So I dropped to the floor and the First Lady went down also,’ the president said.

President Donald Trump commended law enforcement for their quick response.

He said the alleged shooter was ‘almost like a blur’ as he raced through the hotel hallway on Saturday night, joking that the ‘NFL should sign him up.’

‘But it was amazing because as soon as they [law enforcement] saw that, you could see them draw their guns. They were so professional, aimed their guns, and then they took him down immediately,’ Trump told CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell in an interview on ’60 Minutes.’

President Donald Trump reiterated his calls for the White House Correspondents’ Dinner to be rescheduled.

He said it would include ‘bigger security’ and ‘more perimeter security.’

‘I think it’s important that they do it again,’ Trump said of the dinner, adding that he does not want a ‘crazy person’ to succeed in cancelling it.

When asked on 60 Minutes Sunday night what he was thinking when Secret Service agents told him to drop to the ground, he said he had become used to it.

‘My thought was I’ve been through this a couple times,’ the president told Norah O’Donnell.

‘When they said “drop down,” that meant trouble,’ Trump said.

He added that his wife, First Lady Melania Trump, acted professionally.

‘She got it. She knew what was happening. She listened,’ Trump said.

The president previously faced an assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania in 2024 and again months later in West Palm Beach, Florida.

In an interview with 60 Minutes, President Trump insisted he ‘wasn’t worried’ after gunshots were fired at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

‘I understand life,’ the president said.

But he later said he believes his wife, First Lady Melania Trump, ‘realized ahead of time that that was a bullet and not a tray.’

She looked shocked as the bullets rang out.

As journalists and politicians cowered under the tables at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday, one man calmly sat and enjoyed his meal.

Michael Glantz, a top agent at Creative Artists Agency, was caught on video calmly picking at the salad still on his plate and bringing it to his mouth in the moments after suspected gunman Cole Allen, 31, opened fire at the lavish event.

The footage quickly went viral on social media, as some netizens said they related to the man.

Senate Pro Tempore Chuck Grassley announced on social media that he is setting up a briefing with the leaders of the Secret Service to discuss the security at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

A Secret Service agent reportedly fired on suspected gunman Cole Thomas Allen moments before he was tackled to the ground and arrested, but did not strike him, a source familiar with the investigation told CNN.

Based on a preliminary investigation, including witness statements, authorities now believe Allen opened fire one to two times, followed by the Secret Service agent firing three to four rounds, the source said.

As the investigation now continues, the FBI is said to be probing the scene and the ballistic vest worn by an officer who was shot in order to confirm the total number of rounds fired during the incident.

The preliminary investigation has also reportedly determined that Allen used a stairwell to move from his hotel room at the Washington Hilton to the terrace level, with his firearms carried in a bag.

Video shared online showed Allen then rushing past a security checkpoint.

Cole Thomas Allen’s community in Torrance, California, has been left rattled after he was named as the suspect in the armed attack at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

Dylan Wakayama, the president of the Asian American Civic Trust, which worked with Allen’s employer, C2 Education, said students thought he was ‘very intelligent.’

‘They thought he was on the nicer, quiet side. They were completely shocked when I told them that this all went down,’ Wakayama told the Los Angeles Times.

‘I think all of us in Torrance would be shocked if this is the man who attempted to kill the president of the United States,’ he added.

One of Allen’s neighbors, Colin, told the Times that the situation was ‘tragic,’ adding, ‘There’s no need for violence in this day and age.’

Another neighbor said Allen’s family was ‘peaceful people’ and ‘don’t make any noise,’ adding, ‘when they see you they say hi.’

Former President Barack Obama called on the public to ‘reject violence’ following last night’s shooting.

‘Although we don’t yet have the details about the motives behind last night’s shooting at the White House Correspondents Dinner, it’s incumbent upon all us to reject the idea that violence has any place in our democracy,’ he posted on X.

‘It’s also a sobering reminder of the courage and sacrifice that US Secret Service Agents show every day.

‘I’m grateful to them – and thankful that the agent who was shot is going to be okay.’