Trump to attend delayed White House Correspondents’ Dinner after shooting

The White House Correspondents’ Dinner, an annual gathering of politicians and reporters, has been rescheduled to July 24, following an attack on its originally scheduled date.

The event was originally meant to unfold on April 25. But the dinner was disrupted when a suspect, Thomas Cole Allen, rushed the security checkpoint leading to the venue, in an apparent attempt to attack the officials inside.

There was an exchange of gunfire, and the suspect and a security officer were injured, though not severely. Neither suffered penetrating bullet wounds, though one round lodged in the officer’s bulletproof vest .

Government leaders in attendance, including United States President Donald Trump and his wife Melania Trump, were evacuated by the Secret Service, and the event was cancelled.

But on Tuesday, the president of the White House Correspondents’ Association and Trump both confirmed the event would proceed on a new date.

“We will not allow an act of violence to have the last word, especially during a year when we are reflecting on the 250th anniversary of America and everything we stand for,” said association president Weijia Jiang, a reporter for CBS News.

Trump echoed her announcement on social media, where he called the rescheduling “a sign of Strength and Fortitude”.

“This announcement is a very good thing in that we cannot allow Lunatics to change our way of life, or even its scheduling,” Trump wrote, confirming he had accepted his invitation.