On Saturday evening, local time, a man opened fire at a gala dinner attended by US President Donald Trump. The gunman rushed through a security checkpoint towards the ballroom where the event was being held, but was stopped by security personnel in a nearby room.
Despite much of the US government being in the same ballroom, the gala dinner did not have the security clearance that similar high-level events normally have, according to The Washington Post. Examples include the security arrangements surrounding the president's State of the Union address.
US law enforcement agencies may now review security for events attended by the president, Reuters reports. Among other things, several people who previously worked with the president's protection say that the cordoned-off area around President Trump has usually been larger at his campaign rallies than it was during the gala dinner.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche emphasized that the man did not manage to get into the ballroom and said that “the system worked.”
- We were safe. President Trump was safe. His security guards protected him. We were all safe, Blanche told NBC News.
