Dana White bizarre reaction to White House Correspondents’ Association shooting
UFC chief Dana White gave a bizarre account of the terrifying events that unfolded during the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner and described the violent scenes as ‘f***ing awesome’.
The MMA mogul was sat in close proximity to the head table at the Washington Hilton on Saturday night when a lone gunman evaded security, despite the presence of Donald Trump
One officer who was shot but protected by his bulletproof vest was taken to hospital.
The suspect, said to have been carrying a shotgun and handgun, has been identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California.
He is understood to have been a guest in the Washington Hilton hotel where the dinner was being held.
He faces charges including assaulting an officer with a dangerous weapon, but acting US attorney general Todd Blanche said additional charges will be filed.
While more than 2,000 guests – including cabinet members and journalists – dived under tables for safety, White admitted he refused to follow the instructions of Secret Service agents to get down.
Giving his immediate reaction to USA Today, UFC chief White said: ‘It started to get noisy. Tables getting flipped over, guys running in with guns.
‘They were telling me to get down, I didn’t get down. It was f***ing awesome. I literally took every minute of it in. And it was pretty crazy, unique experience.
‘We were sitting right in front of where the President was. Nobody got tackled. Guys came in looking for shooters.
‘They came over to our table. I thought the shooter was over by us or something.’
Sir Keir Starmer, meanwhile, has sent a message of solidarity to Mr Trump after the incident, Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister Darren Jones told Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips on Sky News.
He said: ‘These are remarkable scenes. The Prime Minister has, this morning, sent a message to the president of the United States in solidarity for the events that took place.
‘As you would imagine, with the visit of His Majesty the King this week, our teams are working closely to ensure that security arrangements are put appropriately in place.’
Asked if there are any extra concerns for the King’s safety during the state visit that begins on Monday, Mr Jones said: ‘As you would imagine, the Government and the Palace take the security of His Majesty very seriously, and there were already extensive discussions taking place, which will continue over the coming days.’
The armed assault comes just days before the state visit by the King and Queen, where they are due to meet Mr Trump and attend a White House banquet.
When asked about the incident and any impact on the trip, Buckingham Palace said it does not comment on security matters.
The president posted pictures on his Truth Social platform of the alleged assailant handcuffed on the ground following his detention.
Mr Trump vowed to reschedule the disrupted event at a late-night press conference following the shooting, which he said had ‘unified’ political opponents and the media.
Timeline of Trump assassination attempts and major security threats
June 18, 2016: Assassination attempt at Las Vegas rally
While Trump was giving a presidential campaign speech at the Treasure Island Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, a British man, Michael Steven Sandford, attempted to grab a Las Vegas police officer’s pistol.
September 6, 2017: Forklift attack, North Dakota
On September 6, 2017, in North Dakota, Gregory Lee Leingang stole a forklift and attempted to drive it toward the presidential motorcade while Trump was visiting.
September 20, 2020: Ricin poisoning attempt
On September 20, 2020, Pascale Cécile Véronique Ferrier was arrested in Buffalo, New York, after a ricin-laced letter was intercepted, intended for Trump.
July 12, 2024: Murder-for-hire plot
A Pakistani national, Asif Merchant, was arrested and later convicted of running a murder-for-hire plot on behalf of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to kill Trump.
July 13, 2024: Assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania
On July 13, 2024, shooter Thomas Crooks fired eight shots from an AR-15–style rifle at Trump while speaking at a rally near Butler, Pennsylvania.
Trump was shot and wounded in his upper right ear before dropping to the ground and being shielded by the Secret Service.
Crooks also killed one member of the audience, Corey Comperatore, and critically injured two others, before being shot and killed by a member of the Secret Service.
September 15, 2025: Assassination attempt in West Palm Beach, Florida
On September 15, 2024, Ryan Routh was sighted with a rifle at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, while Trump was golfing at the club.
Routh was arrested after fleeing the scene and was sentenced to life in prison earlier this year.
February 22, 2026: Mar-a-Lago intruder
An armed intruder was shot dead on Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in February.
Austin Tucker Martin was named as the gunman killed by the Secret Service at the president’s Florida retreat.
April 25, 2026: White House Correspondents’ dinner
Gunshots rang out at the Washington Hilton hotel, where the formal White House Correspondents’ Dinner was taking place on Saturday April 25, withTrump and Melania being rushed off stage.
The suspect, Coel Tomas Allen, was arrested on the scene.
He was attending the annual dinner for the first time as president.
Mr Trump said: ‘My impression is he was a lone wolf whack job. These are crazy people.’
The president praised the secret service and said the gunman was not close to breaching the ballroom where he sat on stage at the time of the incident.
He added: ‘I saw a room that was just totally unified. It was, in one way, very beautiful, a very beautiful thing.
‘To see a man charge a security checkpoint armed with multiple weapons, and he was taken down by some very brave members of secret service, and they acted very quickly.”
He added: ‘It is always shocking when something like this happens.’
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Dana White bizarre reaction to White House Correspondents’ Association shooting
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