President Donald Trump struck a philosophical tone Saturday after a shooter rushed a media gala in Washington, the latest in a series of incidents to target the Republican leader.
"I ask respectfully, why do you think this keeps happening to you?" a reporter asked Trump after the chaotic incident at the White House Correspondents' Dinner.
Trump had a ready answer, and it was about the 79-year-old's own position in the pantheon of US presidents.
"Well, you know, I've studied assassinations," Trump said. "And I must tell you the most impactful people, the people that do the most -- you take a look at Abraham Lincoln... the people that make the biggest impact, they're the ones that they go after."
"I hate to say I'm honored by that, but I've done a lot," Trump added. "We've changed this country, and there are a lot of people that are not happy about that. So I think that's the answer."
Trump, who survived an assassination attempt at an election rally in 2024, added that "I lead a pretty normal life, considering, you know, it's a dangerous life."
"A lot of other people, you know, you read stories where they become basket cases. To be honest, I'm not a basket case."
Trump meanwhile took a measured tone towards the press -- despite previously calling it the "enemy of the people" -- saying there was "a tremendous amount of love and coming together" after the incident.
He said he had been ready to give the "most inappropriate speech ever made" but would now be "very boring" when the dinner was rescheduled.
The shooting on Saturday, which Trump blamed on a "would-be assassin," also caused him to riff on one of his favourite topics -- the huge $400 million ballroom he is building at the White House.
Trump said the venue for the correspondents' dinner, the Washington Hilton, was "not particularly secure" and showed the need for the construction of the new ballroom.
US Secret Service agents earlier bundled Donald Trump from the stage as shots rang out Saturday evening at the media gala, in what the president later described as an attack by a "would-be assassin."
Armed guards opened fire at the gunman who charged through a security checkpoint just outside the ballroom of the hotel where Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, senior government officials and hundreds of other black-tie guests had gathered.
People dived under tables in chaotic scenes as Secret Service teams swarmed into the glitzy White House Correspondents' Association dinner held annually at the Washington Hilton in the US capital.
"A man charged a security checkpoint armed with multiple weapons, and he was taken down by some very brave members of the Secret Service," Trump told a press conference at the White House shortly after the incident.
"They seem to think he was a lone wolf, and I feel that too," he said, after posting video of the gunman sprinting past security as guards drew their weapons. The man was detained at the scene. Repeated security lapses Trump said one officer was shot at close range but appeared to not be critically injured. He added that the venue was "not a particularly secure" facility as questions swirled about the president's safety.
Trump said at the hastily arranged news conference that he first thought the noise was a tray being dropped before he realized it was gunfire. He said he planned to re-schedule the media gala within a month despite the security scare.
City officials said the suspect, who will be arraigned in court on Monday on firearm and assault charges, appeared to have been a guest at the hotel. He was armed with a shotgun, handgun and knives.
"Law enforcement exchanged gunfire with the individual," Washington police chief Jeffrey Carroll told reporters. "A US Secret Service uniformed division officer was struck in his vest. He was transported to a local hospital for treatment. He appears to be in good spirits."
As the incident erupted, tactical teams with guns drawn took position on the stage where Trump had been sitting during dinner before he was evacuated.
Police surrounded the hotel, and helicopters hovered overhead.
The security breach occurred after the welcoming speech and during dinner, before Trump was due to speak.
Cabinet members were evacuated first as confusion and concern spread through the partying guests.
One administration official, Mehmet Oz, told journalists "shots fired upstairs" as he was rushed out by security. What we know so far As details continue to emerge and investigations are underway, here is what we know about the shooting:
Shots were heard after the welcoming speech at the annual dinner of the White House Correspondents' Association being held at the Washington Hilton Hotel, according to AFP reporters and other witnesses.
Tactical security teams with guns drawn took position on the stage where Trump was seated alongside his wife Melania, Vice President JD Vance and other officials, who were swiftly evacuated.
Hundreds of guests in black tie in the ballroom took cover under tables and later made their way into the hotel lobby and then outdoors as the event was postponed.
Authorities said no dignitaries or gala guests were hurt. How did the shooting unfold? A "sole gunman" rushed through a security checkpoint in the hotel lobby just outside the ballroom where the dinner was taking place around 8:36 pm (0036 GMT), according to authorities.
Trump shared footage on his Truth Social platform which appeared to show the suspect charging at the checkpoint before being swarmed by officers.
"He was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives," Metropolitan Police Department interim chief Jeffery Carroll told reporters.
Law enforcement exchanged gunfire with the suspect and "intercepted that individual."
A uniformed Secret Service officer was "struck in his vest" and taken to hospital, but was doing well, Carroll said.
The suspect was not hit by gunfire, but was taken to a hospital to be evaluated.
He was in custody and due to be arraigned on Monday in a federal court.
A long gun and shell casings were found on the scene, FBI Director Kash Patel said, adding that the agency was carrying out witness interviews as part of its probe. Who is the suspect? Trump shared photos of the suspected shooter, shirtless and in handcuffs facedown on a carpeted floor, in what appears to be the Hilton lobby.
Authorities are yet to publicly confirm his identity, but US media reported that the suspect was a 31-year-old named Cole Tomas Allen from Torrance, California.
Based on preliminary information, "we do believe he was a guest here at the hotel," Carroll told reporters.
The detained man is believed to be the only suspect in the case, officials said.
He is being charged with two counts currently: using a firearm during a crime of violence, and assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon, US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said.
Other charges could still be brought as the investigation proceeds.
"My impression is he was a lone wolf," Trump said, adding that the suspect's motivation was not yet clear but he believed the gunman was "sick." Were there security failures? Questions swirled regarding the security at the reception and how a gun was brought into the hotel.
Attendees pointed out that there was a magnetometer placed outside the ballroom, but there was no such screening before that or at the entrance to the hotel itself.
Trump initially said it was "not a particularly secure building," but later said the ballroom where the event was being held was not breached by the gunman and was "very, very secure."
The checkpoint that the suspect tried to charge past was "right outside the ballroom," authorities said.
"Because that checkpoint worked, there was no one who was injured," Pirro said.
"We'll go through video across the hotel to figure out how the gun got in, how it got down here," Carroll added.
According to Trump, the security services did a "much better job than Butler," where he was the target of an assassination attempt in 2024 during a campaign rally in the state of Pennsylvania.