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The Republican Cuban-American congressman Mario Díaz-Balart reacted this Sunday to the shooting that occurred the night before at the Annual White House Correspondents' Dinner, warning in a message posted on X that "no president in modern U.S. history has faced more relentless attacks than President Trump."
The incident occurred on Saturday night at the Washington Hilton hotel in Washington D.C., where the 105th edition of the event was being held with approximately 2,600 attendees, including the president, the vice president, cabinet members, and accredited press from the White House.
The attacker, identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, a resident of Torrance, California, burst into the hotel's security area armed with a shotgun, a pistol, and multiple knives, and fired between five and eight shots near the metal detectors around 8:30 p.m.
Secret Service agents neutralized and detained Allen in the hotel lobby before he could access the main hall.
Trump was evacuated at 8:33 PM, along with First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and cabinet members such as Marco Rubio, Pete Hegseth, and Tulsi Gabbard.
A Secret Service agent was injured when a bullet struck his bulletproof vest; he was hospitalized and was expected to make a full recovery. There were no fatalities.
Díaz-Balart expressed relief that everyone present emerged unharmed, but he was emphatic in describing the incident: "The reality is that it was a very close call."
The congressman called for an unequivocal condemnation of the escalating political violence in the country. “The growing political violence in our nation, along with the increasing attacks and threats against elected officials, is deeply alarming and must be condemned outright by everyone, regardless of their political beliefs or party affiliation,” he wrote.
The FBI is investigating the attack as politically motivated. Allen's writings criticized the policies of the Trump administration, and the suspect referred to himself as the "Friendly Federal Killer." Authorities believe he acted alone and intended to target members of the administration who were present at the event.
Allen traveled from California to Chicago and then to Washington by train. The firearms were purchased legally in California over the past two years.
Trump responded to the shooting by posting on Truth Social: "What a night in D.C. The Secret Service and law enforcement did a fantastic job."
At a press conference early on Sunday, he stated: "No one told me that this job was so dangerous."
The FBI Director Kash Patel praised Trump following the incident, while Democratic Congressman Jamie Raskin recounted that the Secret Service threw him to the ground during the chaos, describing that "people were screaming and shouting."
This incident adds to a series of prior attacks against Trump: the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024, where Thomas Matthew Crooks grazed his right ear, and the attempt in West Palm Beach, Florida, on September 15, 2024, carried out by Ryan Wesley Routh.
Díaz-Balart concluded his message with a call for unity: "We cannot allow hate and division to further erode our nation. I am praying that our country rejects political violence, overcomes our differences, and stays united as Americans."
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