EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas struck a similar tone, warning that “political violence has no place in a democracy,” and noting that an event meant to celebrate a free press “should never become a scene of fear.”
National leaders echoed the message.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was “shocked by the scenes” Saturday night in Washington, decrying any attack on democratic institutions and press freedom as unacceptable. Spain’s Pedro Sánchez condemned the attack, writing: “Violence is never the way.”
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also expressed “full solidarity” with Trump and those present, warning that “no political hatred can find space in our democracies” and that leaders “will not allow fanaticism to poison the places of free debate and information.”
Authorities said a “lone actor,” armed with a shotgun and other weapons, charged a security checkpoint outside the annual dinner late Saturday and exchanged gunfire with security forces. The incident triggered panic inside the ballroom as Trump and other dignitaries were rushed from the stage.
Trump initially signaled he wanted to resume the event before abandoning the idea as security concerns mounted. “We very much wanted to continue it,” he said at a press conference shortly after the incident, adding that he would not let “these sick people … change the fabric of our life.”
One Secret Service officer was struck in his bullet-proof vest but is “doing great,” the president said, praising the rapid response.
The suspect, identified as a 31-year-old man from California, was taken into custody and is expected to face multiple firearm-related charges, including assaulting an officer with a deadly weapon.