US President Donald Trump has revealed that his own curiosity contributed to the 20-second delay in his evacuation from the White House Correspondents’ Dinner following an assassination attempt on Saturday night. While dramatic footage showed Vice President JD Vance being swiftly moved from the stage, the President and First Lady appeared to remain in the ballroom longer as Secret Service personnel scrambled to secure them.
In an interview with CBS on Sunday evening, the President admitted that he was partially responsible for the slower response.
“It was a little bit me. I wanted to see what was happening, and I wasn’t making it that easy for ’em,” Trump told the outlet. “I wanted to see what was going on. I probably made them act a little bit more slowly.”
Trump also addressed rumors regarding a possible fall during the chaos, clarifying that his movement to the ground was a directed security measure rather than a stumble. He explained that agents repeatedly told him and Melania to “hit the floor” as they moved toward safety.
“So I went down and the first lady went down also. But we were asked to go down by the agents,” he said, adding that he even attempted to convince security to continue the event from a secure “hold room” after the initial shots were fired.
Reflecting on the experience, the President noted that while he has “been through this before a couple of times,” it was a first for the First Lady, whom he praised for handling the situation “great.”
The suspect, identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen from Torrance, California, remains in custody as authorities investigate why the security perimeter at the Washington Hilton was reportedly lower than at other high-ranking official gatherings.