‘He never came close’: Donald Trump says gunman had ‘hatred in his heart’ as he brands suspect a 'lone wolf whack job'
The comments come after a suspected gunman was detained after attempting to "target" the US President during the White House Correspondents Dinner in Washington DC
Donald Trump has insisted that the King's scheduled state visit to the US will go ahead despite a gunman "targeting" the US President and administration officials during last night's White House Correspondent's Dinner in Washington.
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The suspected gunman, described as a "lone wolf whack job" by the US President, attempted to gain entry to a dinner in Washington DC attended by the US President and members of the press.
Identified as 31-year-old Cole Thomas Allen from Torrance, California, Trump insisted the gunman "never came close" to harming those in attendance in his first interview since last night's attempted attack.
The US President insisted security showed "great talent" and "stopped him cold", with the suspect detained alive before entering the ballroom where the event was taking place.
Donald Trump and the First Lady had taken their seats at the annual dinner when they were interrupted by the sound of gunfire. The President was bundled off stage as the gunman was apprehended.
It comes as King Charles and Queen Camilla are set to visit Trump in the US as part of a state visit, which is set to begin on Monday, with the visit set to conclude on Thursday.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson has confirmed that discussions will be taking place throughout Sunday with US colleagues to review “what degree the events of Saturday evening may or may not impact on the operational planning for the visit.”
Read more: Security concerns over King's US visit as Trump rushed from gala after another attempted shooting
It comes as US outlets revealed that the gunman sent an 'anti-Trump manifesto' to family members just 10 minutes before opening fire - as reported by the New York Post.
The suspect's sister also told police that her brother was prone to making radical statements, with Mr Allen’s brother contacting police in New London, Connecticut, after receiving his manifesto, sources told AP.
Speaking with Fox News, the US President said: "This guy is a sick guy when you read his manifesto,"
"He hates Christians, that's one thing for sure... and I think his sister or his brother actually was complaining about it.
"They were even complaining to law enforcement, he was a very troubled guy."
It's also been revealed by several US media outlets that the alleged gunman's brother notified New London Police in Connecticut about his plans prior to last night's incident.
"I heard about the [New] London situation and I wish they would have told us about it a little bit," Trump said, adding that "it is what it is".
Police believe he was a guest at the Washington Hilton Hotel - the location where the annual dinner was taking place.
On Saturday afternoon, acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche said the motive of the shooter is still under investigation, but that "preliminary" findings suggest he was targeting administration officials, "likely" including the president.
Connor Stringer, White House Correspondent at Telegraph, told LBC that "the chaos was immediate".
"There was just a couple of loud thuds," he continued. "It was quite quickly clear that something was going wrong. Everyone kind of hit the deck and lots of people clamouring to the floor.
"And then there was a mighty flood of Secret Service, all armed with tactical gear, weapons, all sorts of AR-15s, other weaponry, and rushed towards the stage, towards the President, while screaming at everyone to get down.
"It was pandemonium, really. And ironically, in a room full of journalists, everyone was quite quickly doing as you and I would and others would do, trying to ascertain what exactly had happened."
It comes as the US President insisted the gunman "never came close to getting by the doors or getting through the doors."
"They did a good job, I was very satisfied with it."
Mr Blanche was also seen to reaffirmed that the gunman's actions will not "deter" President Trump.
"It will not stop him from living. It will not stop him from doing his job."
He went on: "I assure you that the types of things that you saw last night and the president being out there and available to the American public, that will not change because of what this guy tried to do last night."
Mr Blanche also stated what happened wouldn't influence Trump nor the administration to "bunker and hide".
"It's to trust the law enforcement that are, that are keeping us safe. And that's what happened last night, and that's what I think we'll - we will continue to see going forward."
The suspect's writings are being examined as part of the investigation into the attack, according to CBS News.
The materials were found written on paper in the suspect's hotel room, the outlet added.
Allen - who was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives - was taken to hospital following the incident.
The teacher faces charges including assaulting an officer with a dangerous weapon - with acting attorney general Todd Blanche saying additional charges will be filed.
Jeanine Pirro, US attorney for Washington, said the suspect will be arraigned before a federal court on Monday.
Footage is also emerging of FBI agents and police officers searching an address believed to be linked to the alleged gunman.
Images and footage shows a heavy police presence in the neighbourhood of Torrance, California.
Trump addressed reporters from the White House shortly after the incident and vowed to reschedule the event within the next 30 days.
The White House Correspondents' Association Dinner is an annual gala, but it's the first time the president has attended after boycotting during his first term.
Saturday's incident at the Washington Hilton on Connecticut Avenue is the same hotel in which Ronald Reagan was shot and wounded in 1981.
Speaking just after the incident, Trump said the suspect "was a sick person, a very sick person."
"He was running full blast, and they got him before he got any further. I was very far away, he wasn’t anywhere close to breaching the doors of the ballroom. My impression is he was a lone wolf wack job.”
Journalist Victoria Churchill, who was at the gala, told LBC that people were "a little bit confused" as the situation initially unfolded.
"I was on the left-hand side pretty much about 80% to the back of the room. And what I heard was 3 or 4 shots in quick succession from behind me. So, you know, these were obviously taken outside the room, but that was kind of what we heard.
"You know, like I said, we had just— the band had come and Weijia [Jiang], the president of the Correspondents Association, she had said a few brief remarks but kind of released everybody to dinner.
"I'd, you know, I'd finished my salad and we were kind of all waiting for the meal to actually be served...We were waiting on our main course and then we just heard that.
"And, you know, I think a couple of people were a little bit confused, you know, they thought maybe somebody crashed into something, like, you know, somebody drops a platter or something like that."