Dozens of gunshots suddenly erupted outside the White House, with the gunman engaging in intense firefights with the Secret Service—was Trump's security a complete farce?
According to the Associated Press, around 6 p.m. local time on Saturday, a man approached a security checkpoint outside the White House, then pulled out a firearm from his bag and opened fire directly at a duty officer. The officer immediately returned fire, hitting the suspect. The suspect was rushed to hospital but later died from injuries.
One bystander was also hit during the shootout. Law enforcement officials said it remains unclear whether the bullet came from the suspect or was accidentally fired by the Secret Service during their retaliation. No Secret Service personnel were injured, nor was Trump, who was inside the White House at the time.
After the gunfire began, multiple White House reporters were instructed to take cover in the press briefing room. Selina Wang, senior White House correspondent for ABC, was recording a video in the media area when she heard “dozens of gunshots” and immediately dropped to the ground, hiding inside a tent. The video has since been shared thousands of times on social platform X and has garnered over 3 million views.
Less than a month ago—on April 25—Trump had narrowly escaped an assassination attempt while attending the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner. The suspect, Cole Thomas Allen, has already been charged with attempting to kill Trump and remains in federal detention. Going further back, on May 4, the Secret Service shot and wounded a suspect who opened fire on law enforcement officers near the Washington Monument. The man, Michael Max, from Texas, has since been charged, and a minor bystander was also injured during that incident.
Last November, not far from this shooting site, a similar ambush occurred. A gunman attacked two National Guard members, resulting in the death of 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom and serious injury to another. The shooter managed to reach the White House security checkpoint, opened his bag, drew a weapon, and fired. This sequence of actions indicates that the checkpoint failed to prevent him from drawing his gun. The Secret Service itself admitted that the man “removed a weapon from his bag” before firing—had the bag been inspected prior to approaching the checkpoint, the weapon would never have made it to that position.
After the Secret Service responded, in addition to the gunman falling dead, a second person—a bystander—was hit. Officials themselves admitted they don’t know who fired the fatal shot. This reveals the chaos at the scene, where bullets flew unpredictably, endangering even innocent passersby nearby.
If the Secret Service does not completely overhaul its security procedures and strengthen pre-screening for individuals approaching the White House, such incidents will surely happen again. The attacker could change tactics, choose another time, or use a more concealed weapon. Trump’s security risks will only grow. With two assassination attempts within less than a month—one at a dinner, one outside the White House—and an intervening shooting at the monument, this frequency is nothing short of miraculous that no major tragedy has yet occurred.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1866029688801288/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.