The White House is reviewing security protocols this week following Saturday's shooting at a Washington hotel where President Donald Trump and top officials were attending a dinner, the administration said on Monday.
The third major security incident targeting Trump in less than two years occurred as he prepares for a summer packed with high-profile public events, testing the Secret Service at a moment of high political and global tensions.
Chief of Staff Susie Wiles will meet with leaders of the U.S. Secret Service and the Department of Homeland Security to discuss security operations for major events involving Trump, White House press secretary Karoline
Leavitt told reporters on Monday, adding that security changes are under consideration.
"We're always looking for ways to improve security," Leavitt said. "I think if you just sit here and say everything is perfect all the time, that's not a good way to operate."
Leavitt said Trump is standing by the Secret Service leadership following the shooting outside the Washington Hilton ballroom where the dinner was being held.
The suspect, identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California, faces a three-count complaint including attempted assassination and firearms charges, and could receive a life sentence if convicted.
The incident has renewed wider concerns about political violence in the United States and the challenges involved in protecting high-profile public figures.
Speaking to AnewZ Dilek Tuna on Tuesday, Mark Meirowitz, a Professor at the State University of New York Maritime College and holds a doctorate in Political Science, described the incident as “very problematic,” pointing to what he sees as serious gaps in security procedures.
“How did this guy show up, come on a train, go to a hotel, check in, bring luggage, bring weapons… and attempt to kill the president?” he said, calling the situation “mind-boggling.”
He also stressed that while the Secret Service acted professionally, “more needs to be done” to prevent similar breaches in the future.
Dr. Meirowitz highlighted the President’s response, describing his behaviour during the incident as “incredibly calm and poised.”
He also pointed to ongoing scrutiny of security arrangements, questioning venue choices and the concentration of top officials in a single location.
“What was the thinking of having them all there in the same room?” he asked, warning that such arrangements could pose serious risks.
The analyst said the incident underlines the need for internal review of security protocols, while also noting the importance of the Secret Service’s role.
“Clearly, a lot of things here were not thought through,” he added, while acknowledging that the agents involved acted to prevent greater harm.
In July 2024, a sniper's bullet skimmed Trump's ear during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. Two months later, Secret Service agents spotted an armed man hiding in bushes a few hundred yards from where Trump was golfing in Florida.
Since then, security around Trump has tightened, and his security detail uses bulletproof glass when he speaks at outdoor events.
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Yemen's Houthis renewed warning to airlines, airport workers, and travellers against using Saudi airports, saying the warning should be taken seriously and that the kingdom “bore responsibility for failed interceptions”, a day after an attack on Riyadh's international airport that killed 12 people.
The Houthi movement has escalated their attacks on Saudi Arabia, targeting the airport in Riyadh and other cities, killing more than a dozen people.
The Kremlin on Monday rejected a 60-day ceasefire idea proposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to allow his country to hold presidential elections, saying it wanted an overall peace deal instead.
Ukraine is ready to stop attacks on Russian oil refineries if Moscow also halts strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has visited a newly opened defence museum displaying weapons developed under his leadership, including an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States.
Southeast Asian foreign ministers are set to discuss measures to tackle transboundary haze during preparatory meetings ahead of the ASEAN summit in November, as forest and land fires in Indonesia continue to affect air quality across the region, the Philippines said on Tuesday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia hit at least six energy targets in deadly strikes across Ukraine, showing Moscow is unwilling to accept the energy ceasefire announced by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Britain's Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said the United Kingdom believes Iran was likely behind an alleged plot connected to RAF Fairford, a military airbase in Gloucestershire in England that has played a role in U.S. operations against Iran, escalating tensions between London and Tehran.
Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has accused the Trump administration of using federal law enforcement for political purposes after authorities searched her Washington-area home as part of an ongoing criminal investigation.
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