A senior adviser to President Donald Trump was met with silence after he attempted to start a patriotic chant moments after a shooting disrupted a high-profile dinner in Washington.Dan Scavino, a longtime Trump aide, was seen in videos climbing onto a chair and shouting “USA! USA! USA!”. Shortly after the shooting near the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on Saturday night. The reaction of those around him was embarrassing. A number of attendees asked him to calm down while the security forces worked to control the situation.
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Footage shared online shows the tense atmosphere inside the Washington Hilton Hotel, where politicians, journalists and diplomats gathered for the annual event.
One voice can be heard calling out, “God bless America!” Before Scavino began his chant. A nearby attendee briefly tried to join, but quickly stopped when others halted their attempt.Political reporter Peter Hamby wrote on X that Scavino “tried to start” the chant but “no one ever wanted to hear it,” adding that “[e]Even Trump’s people dismissed this moment as…[t]bad.”
Armed Secret Service agents and law enforcement officers were visible in the room at the time.
They secured the area and escorted the guests to safety. President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were escorted outside, along with members of the Cabinet.Authorities identified the suspect as 31-year-old Cole Thomas Allen of California and he was later taken into custody. He was armed and exchanged gunfire with officers before he was subdued. BBC correspondent Gary O’Donoghue, who attended the dinner, said security at the venue was “not particularly tight”.Despite the fear, the attacker was stopped before he reached the main hall, where the president was present. Trump later praised the Secret Service, saying they acted “courageously” in keeping him and other officials out of danger.The episode comes on the heels of two attempts on Trump’s life in 2024, including a shooting at a rally in Pennsylvania and another incident at his golf course in Florida.
