White House defends Secret Service response to attempted attack on Trump

Washington, April 27 The White House on Monday defended the response of the United States Secret Service to the attempted attack on US President Donald Trump, saying security protocols worked as designed and the attacker was quickly neutralised.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the President remains confident in the agency, even as officials prepare to review procedures ahead of future public events.

“The President has said he believes that the protocols worked,” Leavitt told reporters at a White House briefing.

She described a rapid response on Saturday night when the suspected attacker tried to breach the security perimeter at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.

“You had a perpetrator who tried to breach the security perimeter that was set up by Secret Service… and he was immediately neutralised moments later,” she said.

Leavitt, who was present at the event, said the evacuation unfolded within seconds.

“It was seconds before we were told to get down, and it was seconds before we found ourselves in the hold room backstage,” she said. “The President, the Vice President and the First Lady being pulled to safety — that is not done if there’s a lapse.”

She credited agents with acting swiftly under pressure. “Secret Service did their jobs well. They communicated with one another to remove the President and the Vice President to safety as quickly as they could.”

The White House acknowledged that a broader review is underway. Leavitt said Chief of Staff Susie Wiles will convene a meeting this week with senior officials from the Department of Homeland Security and the Secret Service.

“These conversations will take place… to ensure the safety and the security of the President as we do have many of these major events moving forward,” she said.

While declining to outline specific changes, Leavitt said adjustments remain possible.

“I definitely wouldn’t say changes are out of the question,” she said. “We’re always looking for ways to improve security.”

At the same time, she stressed that operational details would not be made public.

“The Secret Service does not detail its procedures or operations to the public for obvious reasons,” she said, citing risks of exploitation.

The incident has renewed questions about the safety of large, off-site events involving top US officials, including the President and members of the Cabinet.

Leavitt said the administration’s priority remains clear. “There’s no higher priority for the President and his staff than the President’s safety.”

She also addressed concerns among Americans following the incident, saying the public should have confidence in the system.

“As we all witnessed… within minutes, the President, the First Lady, the Vice President, members of the President’s Cabinet were ushered out of the room,” she said.

The suspected attacker, she added, “was stopped at the security perimeter… and thank God that he was.”

The White House Correspondents’ Association dinner has long been one of Washington’s most high-profile gatherings, bringing together journalists, politicians and senior officials in a single venue.

Security at such events has historically been extensive, with multiple layers of screening and coordination among federal agencies.

The latest incident is likely to prompt renewed scrutiny of how the United States protects its top leadership, particularly during large public gatherings outside the White House complex.

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