President Donald Trump compared himself to Abraham Lincoln after confronting what he described as a third attempt on his life in less than two years. In a series of interviews and a hastily organized news conference at the White House, Trump suggested the latest apparent attempt was a sign of his successful presidency, even joking with Fox News, 'I feel like a pinata.'
Trump's Remarks on Assassination Attempts
'I've studied assassinations, and I must tell you the most impactful people — the people who do the most, take a look at Abraham Lincoln,' Trump said. He added, 'The people that make the biggest impact, they're the ones that they go after. They don't go after the ones that don't do much.'
'It's always shocking when something like this happens. Happened to me, a little bit. And that never changes,' a subdued Trump told reporters late Saturday. Only a short time before, a man with guns and knives tried to rush past the security perimeter inside the Washington hotel where the Republican president was about to address the White House Correspondents' Association dinner.
Details of the Incident
Authorities are investigating the incident. A suspect was taken into custody and identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California. 'When you read his manifesto, he hates Christians,' Trump said on Fox. Officials confirmed that the suspect fired a shotgun at a Secret Service agent at a security checkpoint in the Washington Hilton hotel before being tackled and arrested. The agent who was shot escaped serious injury because the bullet struck his protective vest, Trump said. Allen legally bought a .38-caliber semiautomatic pistol in October 2023 and a 12-gauge shotgun two years later.
Trump stated he was undoubtedly the target. The presidency is 'a dangerous profession,' he said, noting that political violence has escalated in the US and worldwide. 'No country is immune.'
Call for Unity
The president called for Americans to set aside their differences and unite — a break from his usual combative political style. 'We have to resolve our differences,' Trump said. 'You had Republicans, Democrats, independents, conservatives, liberals and progressives. Those words are interchangeable, perhaps, but maybe they're not. Yet everybody in that room, big crowd, record-setting crowd, there was a tremendous amount of love and coming together. I was very impressed by that.'
Trump said if the event had continued, he would have changed course and made 'a speech of love.' 'But I didn't get a chance to do that,' he added. 'Probably I was better off if I didn't. I don't know.'
Old Edge Returns
There was still some of his old edge, especially when speaking about the suspect: 'I hated a guy like this — a sick, bad person — I hated somebody like that changing the course of our country.' Trump also wrote on social media that the attack 'would never have happened with the Militarily Top Secret Ballroom currently under construction at the White House. It cannot be built fast enough!'
Timeline of Trump Assassination Attempts
- June 18, 2016: Assassination attempt at Las Vegas rally. A British man, Michael Steven Sandford, attempted to grab a police officer's pistol.
- September 6, 2017: Forklift attack in North Dakota. Gregory Lee Leingang stole a forklift and tried to drive it toward the presidential motorcade.
- September 20, 2020: Ricin poisoning attempt. Pascale Cécile Véronique Ferrier was arrested after a ricin-laced letter was intercepted for Trump.
- July 12, 2024: Murder-for-hire plot. A Pakistani national, Asif Merchant, was arrested and convicted for a plot to kill Trump on behalf of Iran.
- July 13, 2024: Assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania. Shooter Thomas Crooks fired eight shots, wounding Trump in the ear and killing one audience member.
- September 15, 2025: Assassination attempt in West Palm Beach, Florida. Ryan Routh was sighted with a rifle at Trump International Golf Club and later sentenced to life in prison.
- February 22, 2026: Mar-a-Lago intruder. An armed intruder, Austin Tucker Martin, was shot dead by Secret Service at Trump's Florida estate.
- April 25, 2026: White House Correspondents' dinner. Gunshots rang out at the Washington Hilton; suspect Cole Tomas Allen was arrested.
After the 2024 shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, Trump gave a speech at the Republican National Convention with a softer message: 'The discord and division in our society must be healed. We must heal it quickly. As Americans, we are bound together by a single fate and a shared destiny. We rise together. Or we fall apart.'
