Political violence upends the White House Correspondents’ Dinner

<p>The setting was the same as it’s always been: the elegant ballroom in the basement of the Washington Hilton. There, the president, vice president and other high-ranking officials gathered with around 2500 guests to celebrate freedom of speech. But instead of being a light-hearted gala as it had been in the past, fear and pandemonium soon reigned. The White House Correspondents Association dinner on Saturday marked the <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/crime/2026/04/27/cole-tomas-allen-suspect-whcd-shooting/89817513007/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">third time since the summer of 2024 that a gunman was able to get dangerously close to now-president Donald Trump</a>. Was security to blame? And what were the gunman’s motives? USA TODAY Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page joins The Excerpt to share her personal experience and insights.</p><p>Let us know what you think of this episode by sending an email to&nbsp;<a href="mailto:podcasts@usatoday.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">podcasts@usatoday.com</a>.&nbsp;</p><p>Episode transcript&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2026/04/28/for-the-third-time-in-2-years-a-gunman-got-alarmingly-close-to-trump-the-excerpt/89826338007/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">available here</a>.&nbsp;</p><p>See Privacy Policy at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy</a> and California Privacy Notice at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info</a>.</p>