President Donald Trump personally called ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl early Sunday morning to inquire about his well-being after a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner the previous evening.
Karl reported that the call came on his landline shortly after 7 a.m. Trump initiated the conversation to confirm Karl’s safety in the aftermath of the event. He further reported that the president was checking to determine whether Karl was safe and doing well following the events of the night before.
“He was calling to see if I was ok with what happened last night,” the veteran reporter said.
Karl added that Trump reiterated points from his remarks the previous evening and placed emphasis on the sense of unity he observed during the gathering. He further noted that Trump is adamant about rescheduling the dinner within the near future, emphasizing that the president was “quite firm” on that point.
The shooting incident took place a little under 12 hours before the call, when the suspected gunman, identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California, charged towards a security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton Hotel. Allen, who was armed with a shotgun and multiple additional weapons, injured a Secret Service agent after squeezing off at least one shot.
Additional agents then drew their service weapons and opened fire. Allen was then apprehended and taken into custody alive, at which point he was then transported to an area hospital. The injured agent managed to escape without serious injury due to an officer-worn chest plate.
Attendees, including the president, members of his cabinet, and members of Congress from both parties, were evacuated as soon as shots rang out. The event was then cancelled despite President Trump’s calls to continue.
Later that evening, Trump addressed reporters in a hastily arranged press conference at the White House. He described the gathering as an event intended to promote freedom of speech and bring together representatives from both political parties along with members of the press.
“This was an event dedicated to freedom of speech that was supposed to bring together members of both parties with members of the press, and in a certain way it did, because the fact that they just unified us through a room that was just totally unified. It was, in one way, very beautiful, a very beautiful thing to see,” the president said.
Trump noted the presence of Republicans, Democrats, independents, conservatives, liberals, and progressives in the room and called for resolving differences peacefully. “We have to, we have to resolve our differences,” he said.
Cole Tomas Allen
