‘Designated survivor’: White House says it talked about Trump succession line before gunshot dinner

Lack of security and no identification: the flaws in Trump’s event Before United States President Donald Trump’s dinner with correspondents, the White House considered appointing a “designated survivor” — a person who would assume the US presidency if the entire government leadership died. White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt stated this Monday (27) that the Trump administration discussed this possibility, but ended up ruling out who would be the designated survivor (read more below). ✅ Follow g1’s international news channel on WhatsApp LIVE: Follow the news about the shootings at Trump’s dinner with journalists “These conversations (about determining a designated survivor) did in fact happen,” Leavitt said. “But there were several cabinet members in the lines of succession who did not attend the dinner for personal reasons, so designating a survivor was not necessary.” In the interview, Leavitt also confirmed that the Trump administration will meet to discuss increasing Trump’s safety and security. She said White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles will convene a meeting with officials from the Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Secret Service and the White House operations team to “ensure the president’s safety and security.” ➡️ The shooter was identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen. He was arrested after the attempted attack and appeared this Monday (27) at the first hearing on the case, in a Washington court. Allen was charged with three crimes, including trying to kill the president. He could face life in prison. Designated Survivor The designated survivor is a figure created in the Cold War who assumes nothing less than the presidency of the greatest world power in the event of a catastrophe or a terrorist attack that kills all authorities. In the US, the presidential line of succession extends through a series of more than a dozen names. The tradition of choosing a designated survivor began in the 1950s and dates back to the Cold War between the United States and the then Soviet Union. In the event of the death or incapacity of the president, the vice-president takes over – in the USA, the vice-president also holds the position of president of the Senate, despite not being a senator. Number two in the line of succession is the President of the Chamber of Deputies, followed by the “pro tempore” president of the Senate (a senator chosen by the House who assumes its leadership in the event of the vice-president’s absence). Next come the Executive Secretaries: first the Secretary of State, followed by the Secretary of the Treasury, Defense, Attorney General, Interior, etc. The identity of the designated survivor was only made public in the 1980s. Since then, the highest ranking person to be chosen for the role has been the attorney general, seventh in the line of succession. Shots at the correspondents’ dinner See what happened and everything that is known so far about the episode: On Saturday night, Donald Trump participated in a dinner at a hotel in Washington with foreign correspondents who are accredited at the White House. The annual event is the most traditional meeting between the US president and these journalists, and would be the first of the current Trump administration; At the beginning of the event, sounds of gunshots were heard from the hall. Cameramen recording the event captured the sound of gunshots; Security agents then quickly entered the venue and removed Trump, the first lady, Melania Trump, and the vice president, JD Vance, who were at a table on the ballroom’s stage. Other high-ranking officials, such as the Secretaries of State and War and the director of the FBI, were also removed; The journalists were kept there for security checks — a TV Globo team also participated in the dinner; Local police then reported that the shooting suspect tried to break into the salon, but was intercepted by Secret Service agents. Later, Trump himself released, on his social network Truth Social, a video in which a man manages to bypass a blockade of security agents; The shooter even shot at one of the agents, but the shot hit the officer’s bulletproof vest, which is fine, according to the Secret Service. No one else was injured. The press at the scene, including TV Globo, reported that the security and search scheme for entry to the dinner was not rigorous, even with the Trump administration’s leadership present. The TV Globo team that went to the event stated that they only went through one security check; The suspect was identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, a United States citizen born in Torrance, California. Allen, according to authorities, is a mechanical engineer, game developer and former private teacher. Before the crime, he wrote a letter criticizing Trump, and the police’s main suspicion is that the shooter was targeting the US president. He carried a shotgun, a pistol and knives, according to investigations. Police also discovered that Allen was staying at the event hotel itself. He was arrested and, this Monday, he will undergo his first hearing. Trump also said that the shooter appeared to have acted alone, like a “lone wolf.” Local police confirmed the information. The motivation for the attack is not yet known; The US president also used the episode to once again defend his project to build a “top secret” party room inside the White House, which has received criticism for its cost, estimated at around R$2 billion. The correspondents’ dinner with Trump always takes place at the Washington hotel where Saturday’s episode took place. The dinner has been postponed and will take place within 30 days, according to the US president. LACK OF SECURITY AND NO IDENTIFICATION: the flaws in Trump’s event that ended in panic in Washington Man is detained on the ground by security agents in an image released by Donald Trump after shots were fired at the White House correspondents’ dinner with the US president, in Washington, USA, on April 25, 2026. Reproduction/ Truth Social Trump is removed from event after gunshots Reuters Trump is removed from White House dinner after noise Reuters

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