Robert F Kennedy Jr’s son has shared his father’s response to being escorted out of the White House press dinner as gunshots were heard at the venue.
The US health secretary remarked that he was ‘very hungry’ after being forced to leave the annual event as starters were being served.
His son, Bobby Kennedy III posted a WhatsApp group exchange in which in enquires about his father’s safety following the incident at the Washington Hilton hotel.
Proceedings at the correspondents’ association gala were abruptly interrupted as a man tried to force his way past security and enter the venue.
The suspected gunman, Cole Tomas Allen, 31, from California, remains in custody.
In a post on X, Bobby shared messages sent by his father’s wife, Cheryl Hines saying the security officers had been quick to remove the couple from the building.
Hines added that she that scenes at the press dinner were ‘crazy’ and she had been ‘lifted over chairs’ to escape the venue.
Her note read: ‘Bobby’s security came in so fast and took us out of the building.’
RFK Jr added: ‘I’m really hungry’.
A matter-of-fact Trump told reporters after the event: ‘It’s always shocking when something like this happens. Happened to me, a little bit. And that never changes.’
An investigation continues into the events of Saturday night.
Federal officers have interviewed Allen’s sister, who said he had bought several weapons, including a 38-caliber semi-automatic pistol and a 12-gauge shotgun from a store in California and had them stored at his parent’s home.
According to social media posts, the suspect is a tutor and video game developer.
Allen’s online resume says he worked for the last six years at C2 Education, a company that offers admissions counselling and test preparation services to aspiring college students. A 2024 post on the company’s Facebook page listed Allen as the company’s teacher of the month. The company did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Saturday night.
Allen also posted that he had developed a video game for the Steam platform based on molecular chemistry. A post under Allen’s name said he was working to develop a new ‘top-down shooter’ combat game set in outer space.
Bin Tang, a computer science professor at California State University, Dominguez Hills, said that Allen took a few of his classes before graduating last year.
‘He was a very good student indeed, always sitting in the first row of my class, paying attention, and frequently emailing me with coursework questions. Soft-spoken, very polite, a good fellow. I am very shocked to see the news,’ Tang wrote in an email.
Donald Trump told Fox News that he felt ‘like a pinata’ after so many attempts on his life.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.