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Source: Suspect's Writing Indicate Anti-Trump Admin Ideology; Official: Correspondents' Dinner Suspect Bought Guns Legally; Correspondents' Dinner Suspect Arrested; Buckingham Palace: Security Talks Underway for King's State Visit; Top Iran Diplomat in Pakistan Meeting with Mediators. Aired 1-2p ET

Aired April 26, 2026 - 13:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[13:00:00]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, breaking news. Urgent investigation. An attack at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner. A gunman opens fire. President Trump and his cabinet are rushed to safety. And a U.S. Secret Service officer is hit in his bulletproof vest. The suspect. Officials say the alleged gunman is a 31-year-old man from California. A teacher and a video game developer. We'll bring you all the very latest on what we're learning about his possible motive.

The security. There are now very serious questions about the protocols to screen attendees and guests. One lawmaker says the security was, and I'm quoting him now, "woefully insufficient.?

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

BLITZER: Good afternoon. We want to welcome our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington with my colleague and friend, Fredericka Whitfield in Atlanta.

Let's begin with the breaking news. We are learning new details on the man accused of firing shots just outside the White House Correspondents' Association ballroom dinner. Sources say the suspect is Cole Tomas Allen, a 31-year-old man from outside Los Angeles. He was tackled and arrested without injury.

And on a very, very personal note, I was just a few feet away from the suspect when those shots were fired. Here we see U.S. Secret Service agents swarm the president and rush him to safety. The alleged gunman was not able to enter the actual ballroom where the dinner was being held. But here's what President Trump said about the investigation of this suspect just a short time ago. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: He's got some big problems with the rest of his life. And it's a very, very bad, very bad situation. But his family knew that he had difficulty and his family seemed free. I think they spent a lot of time with his family. His family said he had big difficulty.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: A source tells CNN that investigators have recovered writings from the suspect and they indicate strong feelings against the Trump administration and its officials. We're also learning that Allen's family was alarmed by the writings and contacted authorities just minutes before the attack.

Today, Trump's acting attorney general tells CNN the suspect was likely targeting White House officials.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TODD BLANCHE, ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL: Still looking to try to understand a motive from our preliminary investigation. It does appear the suspect was targeting members of the administration. I don't want to go beyond that because we don't have specifics yet about particular members of the administration, except that we do understand that that was his goal and his target.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Our CNN White House Correspondent Alayna Treene is joining us right now. Alayna, you were there at the dinner together with me and you have some new reporting on the suspect's family reaching out to U.S. authorities. What can you tell us?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Wolf. I've been catching up with officials here at the White House and they told me that they have found a manifesto written by the suspect, Cole Tomas Allen, and that it made clear that he was trying to specifically target members of the Trump administration. The White House said that Allen's social media accounts as well. They've been looking at his rhetoric and that they reflected heavy anti-Trump and anti-Christian language.

But what we were told as well from the White House, what I was told, was that the suspect, Allen, had actually sent this manifesto to his family just minutes prior to this incident and that Allen's brother had actually notified authorities about it also minutes prior to this. We did actually hear from President Donald Trump. He had an interview on Fox News this morning where he acknowledged this, telling them, he said, I heard about the New London situation. New London is the police department where Allen's family had contacted them, saying, I wish they would have told us about it a little bit, but it is what it is.

Now, also in my conversations with the White House, Wolf, they said that the law enforcement was also able to interview the suspect's sister who had confirmed that Allen had purchased two handguns and a shotgun previously and had been keeping those firearms stored at his family's house. The sister said that the parents did not know that there were firearms there. She also told Secret Service and law enforcement that her brother had a tendency to make radical statements and his rhetoric referenced a plan to do something to fix the world's problems.

Another thing I just want to mention as well is that we are learning that in this manifesto, the suspected shooter had referred to himself as the, quote, "friendly federal assassin."

[13:05:00]

So, look, we are still, of course, there are a lot of unanswered questions. We are still, of course, trying to learn more information about his specific motive. As the Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said, you know, trying to figure out exactly and specifically who the suspect was targeting. But we are getting a better picture today of how this was politically motivated, Wolf.

BLITZER: Alayna, I remember you were at Butler, Pennsylvania. I was anchoring our coverage for that first assassination attempt on President Trump. What was it like being there versus last night?

TREENE: Yes. I mean, look, Wolf, and like you, I don't like to get personal as a reporter who covers this type of news, but I remembered thinking to myself, I mean, we dropped to the ground. I know you did as well. You were in a different part of, actually, the Washington Hilton last night. But I had dropped to the ground with my colleagues. We weren't sure what was going on.

And the one thing that I kept thinking was how similar, even though it was a completely different venue. I mean, Butler, we were outside, bullets flying overhead. You know, very close call there with the president in Butler, Pennsylvania, nearly two years ago now.

But similarly, dropping to the ground. And one of the key things was just the confusion, the chaos, and the questions that I think I had and everyone else has in these types of moments. And the biggest one really being, how could something like this happen? You mentioned it, Wolf.

But the same conversations I am having with family members, my sources, people who were in the room last night, and the people who were in Butler as well, has been that constant question of, how could there be such a breakdown in security for there to be such a close call? But I have to say as well, you know, a lot of people jumping into action. Think Secret Service for, you know, all of the questions around security today. A lot of people lauding them, including the president and his team.

And thank God, you know, unlike in Butler, there were no deaths last night. But a very, very scary situation. And one where, of course, in those moments, all you want to do is make sure, get more information, figure out what is happening. It's really hard to do so in those moments. But for me, it's more of just another question of how can this keep happening in our country. I think it's one a lot of people are asking today, Wolf.

BLITZER: Certainly true. Alayna Treene at the White House, thanks very much for that. Officials say the alleged gunman, Cole Tomas Allen, was armed with a shotgun, a handgun, and multiple knives. He's expected to be arraigned in court tomorrow.

I want to bring in CNN Senior Investigative Correspondent Kyung Lah. She's in Torrance, California. That's where Cole Tomas Allen lives. Kyung, what more can you tell us about this suspect?

KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, what I can tell you is that where we are right now, this is Torrance, California. The home is behind me. There was a lot of law enforcement activity overnight well into the overnight hours yesterday as federal authorities made contact with the parents here. It is the mother and the father who live here.

We are told by a lot of these shell-shocked neighbors of this very quiet beach community that the family is very friendly, very normal. This is a middle-class community. The father is a public-school teacher. They raised three children. One of the children, Cole Allen, is the man we are talking about, 31 years old, a high achiever from all indications, went to Cal Tech. It is an engineering school. He graduated from engineering. He was an extraordinary high achiever. It's difficult to get into that university, and he managed to get his master's there.

We looked at a LinkedIn profile, and it shows that he was a part-time teacher as well at C2 Education. It's a test prep and tutoring company. It's a place where you go to for encouragement, and his reputation there was to be Teacher of the Month in December of 2024.

So, while he was at Cal Tech, he was a member of the school's Christian Fellowship and Nerf Club. Nothing on his social profile indicates that something like this was brewing. He did describe himself on his profile as a video game developer. He had published an indie game called Bohrdom. It was for sale on Steam just for $1.99, and it was a skills-based game.

So, it's difficult for the people who live here to try to match that person with someone who would have legally purchased two weapons in 2023 and 2025, also have knives found on him when he was taken at the hotel at the White House Correspondence Center. How do you put that together, that he took a train from Torrance to Washington, D.C.? So, that's the struggle this morning for the people who live here. As far as the family home, it's been very quiet here. We have not seen much activity.

There was some sort of engagement last night. It's a little difficult to tell how cooperative the parents are being, but we do know from Elaine what she was saying is that the brother and sister are certainly cooperating, certainly trying to help people in Washington. The federal authorities understand how all of this happened, Wolf.

[13:10:00]

BLITZER: Yes, awful situation. Kyung Lah, thanks very much for that. We'll stay in close touch with you. I want to discuss what's going on with the former U.S. Homeland Security Secretary under President Obama, Jeh Johnson. Mr. Secretary, thanks so much for joining us. I know you've been to the White House Correspondents Association dinner several times. What was your reaction to what we saw take place, first of all, last night?

JEH JOHNSON, FORMER HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: My reaction is this, Wolf. First, there are obviously some lessons to be learned from this tragedy. There are lessons to be learned from every incident like this. How is it that this individual was allowed to check into the hotel, the very hotel where the event with the president occurred, just days before, without any serious background check or screening? How is it he was apparently allowed to bring weapons into the hotel days before the event?

I'm going to say what most people have been saying this morning, which is that it's a miracle that more people were not injured. A real tragedy occurring just in the ballroom. You know how tightly those tables are set up. It could have been a massive stampede to get out of there. There are very few exits out of that room. And it's a miracle that more people weren't hurt by gunfire. Somehow, even the shooter was not taken down by gunfire.

And I think a lot of that is the professionalism of the security personnel who were on the scene, the Secret Service and the other agencies that were there to protect the various Cabinet officials. So, I think that we're fortunate that more people were not hurt by this whole thing. But there are definitely lessons to be learned.

BLITZER: Yes. Important lessons to be learned to make sure it doesn't happen again. We're getting lots of details, as you know, Mr. Secretary, on the alleged attacker, this individual Cole Tomas Allen, 31 years old. And as our Kyung Lah just mentioned, he's from Southern California, working as a part-time teacher with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and a master's degree in computer science. Does that surprise you?

JOHNSON: Unfortunately, in this day and age, it does not. Guns are far too prevalent in our society. Those with serious, serious mental illnesses are far too prevalent in our society. And it's apparent to me, the moment this individual burst through the checkpoints and the magnetometers, he was on a suicide mission. He almost certainly had no exit plan and probably intended to die in this massive intended shootout.

So, in this day and age, with the prevalence of targeted violence like this, I'm not surprised by anything about his personal background.

BLITZER: Yes, he was highly educated. The acting attorney general of the United States, Todd Blanche, told CNN's Dana Bash this morning that Allen may have been trying to target members of the Trump administration. As you know, last night, many cabinet secretaries were at the Washington Hilton Hotel.

I was there as well, including the acting attorney general of the United States, the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, the current secretary of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin. The FBI director, Kash Patel, was also there. Is it responsible to have so many cabinet secretaries and senior administration officials gathered together like this at the Washington Hilton Hotel? It's a non-government setting, as you know.

JOHNSON: You know, I've asked myself that question. I think it's not inappropriate, so long as there's someone in the presidential line of succession who is not president ace. You know, in effect, a designated survivor of sorts. But it ought to be the case that senior officials in Washington, including those in the line of succession, can come together for events such as this, so long as at least one or two of them stay away from the event.

BLITZER: Quick final question, Mr. Secretary, before I let you go. Does Trump have a good point when he says he needs to build a huge White House ballroom that would be a lot more secure than having these kinds of events at a hotel in Washington?

JOHNSON: I'm not sure I would agree with that, because simply to get on the White House grounds, Wolf, as you know, you have to go through a guardhouse, a serious, serious checkpoint. It's one of the most secure property in Washington or elsewhere just to get on the grounds, let alone into the building. So, I've heard him make this point about potential drone attacks, but I suspect that the Secret Service has already got that covered.

BLITZER: Secretary Jeh Johnson, thanks so much for joining us. Appreciate it.

JOHNSON: Thank you.

[13:15:00]

BLITZER: And still ahead, inside the chaos here in Washington, you're going to hear from those inside the White House as shots rang out in a nearby lobby.

Plus, state visits still on. President Trump confirming King Charles will still travel to Washington as planned inside the conversations happening in the wake of the shooting. Stay with us. Lots going on. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: I want to take you inside the White House Correspondents Association dinner where last night's shooting incident actually took place. Chaos and confusion filled a ballroom here in Washington.

[13:20:00]

The Washington Hilton Hotel, about 2,000 people, were inside after a gunman opened fire just outside the ballroom. Guests sought safety under tables as President Trump was rushed out and law enforcement secured the room.

Kadia Goba is a politics reporter at NOTUS and was also in the room last night. Kadia, this dinner is a Washington tradition. I've been to about 30 of them over the years for CNN. Give us a sense of what happened where you were.

KADIA GOBA, NOTUS POLITICAL REPORTER AND POLITICAL REPORTER, NEWS OF THE UNITED STATES: Sure. I was, I'd say, stage left when we heard the shootings. But on the second level, because as you know, there's a ground floor and then three steps up, there's a second level. When we heard the shooting, I mean, needless to say, you don't put on a floor- length gown to be unexpectedly crouching under your table. But that was our immediate reaction to get down.

Initially, I thought it was just like clanking of a table falling. But when we saw the rush of people, we understood that something was terribly wrong. I hid under the table. But I got to say, I was comfortable enough to start filming after a while. And you could see Secret Service trying to navigate their way towards the front of the ballroom.

BLITZER: Yes, the men were all wearing black tie tuxedos. The women were wearing beautiful gowns. And all of a sudden, they're getting down underneath the table to hide when they heard those loud noises, which they didn't know what it was, but it was gunshots.

GOBA: Yes, it was surprisingly gunshots. Again, like I said, a lot of people were -- this is very unexpected. Thousands of people in the ballroom, many of us in full conversation or eating our salad. The main course had not yet come out. And then all of a sudden, this chaos broke out. It was unnerving. I have to say, you know, I'm OK. As someone who grew up in Brooklyn and a little, partially maybe a little less sensitive to gun violence, this was, I'm OK.

BLITZER: The president, as you know, immediately said the event will be rescheduled within the next 30 days or so. Would you feel safe returning to the Washington Hilton Hotel for a huge event like this within the next 30 days?

GOBA: So, Wolf, you know, I'm a journalist, so I'm -- I always want to be where the action is. I would say, I would think non-journalists would be a little more reticent. And I know that because our outlet NOTUS has our annual brunch right after the White House Correspondents' Dinner today. And people called me to tell me that they wouldn't make it. They didn't feel comfortable being in a crowd. So, I would imagine within 30 days people will be a little shy about doing, participating in such an event.

BLITZER: You can't blame them, given what happened last night. It was pretty terrifying. This is all happening, as you know, while the Department of Homeland Security still does not have the funding it needs to protect the American people. What do you say about that?

GOBA: I imagine that's going to be a conversation when we get back to Congress on -- tomorrow. And I would imagine Republicans will use that as some sort of leverage in getting their D.H. as funding funded. And it will be interesting to see how Democrats respond to that, because, as you say, this is something that they can bring up as, you know, a national security or a national security issue that's happening, just -- that happened just moments ago.

BLITZER: And, Kadia, you're OK, right?

GOBA: I'm fine.

BLITZER: Good to hear that. All right. Thanks very much, Kadia.

GOBA: Thanks for having me.

BLITZER: Appreciate it very much with NOTUS. The first lady, Melania Trump, whisked away with her husband as the suspected gunman was tackled by law enforcement. We'll speak to a former U.S. Secret Service agent about the challenges of protecting multiple members of the first family. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:25:00]

FREDERICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right. We continue our breaking news coverage of the shooting outside the White House Correspondents' Dinner at the Washington Hilton. Not long after the shooting, authorities descended on a home linked to the alleged gunman in Torrance, California, outside of Los Angeles. Sources say the suspect is identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen.

Just outside the D.C. hotel ballroom, authorities tackled the suspect and arrested him without injury. The White House says Allen's social media accounts heavily reflected anti-Trump rhetoric. And acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche says the attack was targeting administration officials at the dinner. Listen carefully.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Yes. Those are the gunshots in the hotel lobby that rang out, but close enough to be heard. You see their reaction right there now. Their reaction there in the ballroom where the dinner was being held. And you can see Secret Service agents surround the president and safely rush him off stage. Top administration officials were also there and also unharmed.

Surveillance camera video capturing the suspect charging a security checkpoint, as you see right there. Police say he exchanged gunfire with police and struck one Secret Service agent in his protective gear. That agent has been released from the hospital.

CNN Senior Correspondent Josh Campbell joining us right now. Josh, you worked as a supervisory special agent with the FBI. Walk us through the investigative process now and how it might unfold, given all that was seen, witnessed, experienced, and now trying to learn more about motivation and really trying to go through the crime scene as well still.

[13:30:00]

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: That's right. I mean, that investigation very much underway. In fact, as you and I speak right now, there are FBI agents that are right now in that Torrance, California neighborhood where the suspect is believed to have resided. They're going, knocking on different doors, which you can imagine they're trying to gather as much information as they can from anyone who might have known this individual. And just to walk you through the timeline, the moment that shots rang out, I'm told that the suspect was identified relatively quickly. You had the FBI's Washington, D.C. field office. Once there was a determination made that this person may have been from California, they started calling here to FBI Los Angeles saying, look, we're going to need your help. We need you to go to this residence that we've identified as possibly belonging to the suspect. The FBI SWAT team here in L.A. was called up. All of these agents descending on that area working throughout the night.

Now, we learned some things from the acting attorney general speaking to our colleague Dana Bash this morning. He said that there have been search warrants that have been executed, including on digital devices that the suspect owned. That is normal in these courses of investigations. They want to try to get into his mindset. What was he thinking? What was the nature of the preparation and the planning?

CNN also reporting that just moments before this incident, he had purportedly sent a manifesto-type message to family members, that giving them cause for concern. They, in turn, called law enforcement. But this all happened very quickly. There wasn't much time for law enforcement to get that to security officials there in D.C., it appears. Just that we're talking about it within minutes. So, the investigation continues.

The last thing I'll note is that we are hearing from the attorney general that the suspect doesn't appear to be cooperating right now. And so, authorities are having to do all of this other work. Right now, he faces two counts, one involving a firearm, the other involving assault on a federal officer. We know, as you mentioned, Fred, that one Secret Service agent was shot. Thankfully, his ballistic vest stopped that from being fatal. That's the investigative side.

There will also be questions about security there at that venue. One thing I just want to point out very briefly, as that's looked into, as it always is in these types of situations, after action reviews, it didn't appear that this person was just moments from busting into the ballroom where the president and others were. We're talking about this happening on a different floor.

Again, this will all be reviewed. But you look at how quickly those agents sprang into action, took this person down. Quite frankly, Fred, I'm surprised he is still alive. Coming in there, you know, shooting, that would have given those agents the authority to use deadly force. But now, obviously, he's in custody and he'll face prosecution.

WHITFIELD: Right. And while you mentioned the suspect may not be cooperative, according to Todd Blanche, his family members, his brother and sister, apparently, are quite forthright with information. How much of a difference might that make in an investigation like this?

CAMPBELL: Yes, that could be critical. Again, they're trying to get to the mindset. What was the motive and who best to provide that than people that are closely associated? Our reporting is that he was known to make some kind of, you know, like erratic comments of political nature. You know, this is not one of those that it appears is going to be very difficult to come up with a motive. You know, you and I and all of our colleagues at CNN, we were reporting in the aftermath of the Butler assassination attempt on the president.

To this day, there are major questions about the motivation of that person. A lot of that's still very mysterious. This doesn't appear to be that. It appears that the more that we're warning about what this person thought of the president and people in the administration, that that was likely, you know, the motivation here. But to your point, it's important. They will try to glean as much information as they can from people around him.

And the final point, there's no indication that this is the case, but they want to rule out whether anyone else may have been involved or helped inspire this as well.

WHITFIELD: Yes, still the early stages of the investigation. Josh Campbell, thanks so much.

CAMPBELL: You bet.

WHITFIELD: All right. I want to now bring in CNN law enforcement analyst and former Secret Service agent Jonathan Wackrow. Jonathan, great to see you. So, how do you evaluate, you know, this moment, the shooting moment, the reaction, whether there was, you know, a real vulnerability ahead of averting things that really could have turned out much worse?

JONATHAN WACKROW, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST, FORMER SECRET SERVICE AGENT AND CORPORATE SECURITY CONSULTANT: Well, good afternoon, Fred. Thank you for having me. You know, when I look back at what happened last night, what I look at is a real serious premeditated attack against this heavily fortified hotel and the motivation of this attacker to undertake this level of attack, knowing the levels of security that they would face.

But at the end of the day, the Secret Service plan worked. The level of planning that went into this event was meticulous, as it always is. And, you know, I think that for the viewer, you have to understand the Secret Service planning is threat based, not routine based. I think what we've heard a lot is that the presidents in the past have gone to this event in the past. It follows the same pattern. They've been to that hotel.

But that's not the way the Secret Service operates. They operate off of a threat-based methodology, not a routine based process. So, the security plan that was in place last night was really built around the current threat environment.

[13:35:00]

Remember, we're at war. We have domestic issues. We have a lot of threat vectors that impact the security of that event, not just for the president, but for the broader protectees that are also there and the attendees. So, the security plan worked last night, as Josh just described. The attacker did not get into the ballroom. They were not able to achieve their mission, and they were successfully taken into custody. So, I will take that as a win for the Secret Service and for all law enforcement on site last night.

WHITFIELD: So, while the acting attorney general says Trump administration members were likely targeted in this, by the president's side at the table was the first lady, Melania. Cameras captured her reaction to the sound of everybody could tell that was unmistakable sound of gunfire. You were part of former first lady Michelle Obama's detail.

So, what are the challenges for protecting not just one, but two and sometimes multiple in this case, a pretty large family. But let's zero in on the first lady and the president. Talk to me about the challenges of trying to keep them protected in a circumstance like this.

WACKROW: Well, listen, you know, there's -- you know, part of the security structure is being aware of the other security elements that are around you. Obviously, the Secret Service is taking the primary responsibility of securing the site. But you had a lot of cabinet officials. You had private individuals with private security, all converging in such a small space.

The way that you address that within your security plan is you have to make sure that roles and responsibilities are understood. And when I was on the president's detail, there is a plan for the president. And then there's a plan for everybody else. And that's really important to understand here, because all actions are not equal. We saw the vice president moving in one direction. We saw the first lady moving in another direction in the in the protective detail, removing the president in a different manner.

All of this is highly coordinated, Fred. This is this is not some sort of instant reaction. These are emergency action plans that are practiced time and time again by the first lady's detail, by the working detail and the working shift for the president United States, as well as all other security details.

What you are trying to do there in that coordination is deconflict any movement. You don't want to get into a situation where you're trying to remove the president and you're actually causing other people harm. So, this is a highly coordinated security operation, all thinking about what happens in these critical event moments. What are we going to do in a tactical, medical or relocation situation?

All of that worked well last night. It almost -- it was textbook, mind you, the way that we saw them operate in the speed at which they identified the threat in one area of the of the venue, communicated back to the working shift and then started removing those protectees very systematically.

WHITFIELD: Well, thank goodness no one was injured. Thank goodness that secret service agent who was hit that protective vest helped them considerably. All right. Jonathan Wackrow, thank you so much.

WACKROW: Thanks, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Coming up, a new reaction from world leaders in the wake of the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:40:00]

BLITZER: World leaders are speaking out, voicing their relief that the president and the attendants at the White House Correspondents Association dinner last night are safe after the shooting that occurred there. CNN Correspondent Clare Sebastian takes a closer look at reactions from around the globe.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Western leaders were united in their condemnations of the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. Despite recent tensions over the Iran war, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was quick to show his support, especially, of course, ahead of King Charles' planned state visit to the U.S. on Monday, expressing his best wishes to President Donald Trump in a phone call Sunday, Downing Street said. Starmer also used the opportunity to discuss the, quote, "urgent need" to open the Strait of Hormuz.

Now, French President Emmanuel Macron also offered his, quote, "full support" to Donald Trump in a post on X. And many, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, nearly two months, of course, into a joint war with the U.S. against Iran, expressed relief that the president and first lady escaped unharmed. Netanyahu addressed the incident at a cabinet meeting Sunday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): My wife and I were shocked, as you were, to hear about this repeated attempt to assassinate President Trump and his wife. We were glad that both of them, along with senior members of the U.S. administration, came out unharmed. There is no place for violence, not against political leaders and not against anyone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SEBASTIAN: Although acting Attorney General Todd Blanche says the suspect appeared to be targeting members of the administration, there's no word yet on who. Now, Mark Carney of Canada offered support for those, quote, "shaken by this disturbing event." Many international journalists also, of course, attend the White House Correspondents' Dinner.

And Ukraine's foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, also weighed in. Such violence has no justification, he wrote on X, and must have no place in a democratic society. Clare Sebastian, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: A special thanks to Claire for that report. On the heels of last night's chaotic Correspondents' Dinner, talks are underway between the U.S. and the U.K. right now, just ahead of King Charles' planned state visit to Washington tomorrow.

[13:45:00]

The king and the queen, Queen Camilla, are set to arrive at the White House as part of a four-day trip to mark the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence. Their high-stakes visit also comes as the war in Iran has strained ties seriously between the two countries.

CNN anchor and royal correspondent Max Foster is here with me in Washington. He's got details. So, what's the latest you're hearing about these talks?

MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: There are talks. I'm told that the king and queen are very much minded still to come. They're very keen to come. I think President Trump, from what I'm hearing, is keen for them to come. But this is a conversation now between the British police, who protect the royals, and the Secret Service about whether or not they think it's secure.

So, the king is kind of out of the king's hands at this point. If he gets the advice that his security detail are happy with him coming and with what the Secret Service is promising in terms of protection, then it will go ahead and they'll arrive on Monday. But at the moment, broadly, the embassy is certainly planning for this trip to go as planned at the moment.

BLITZER: Were there other events that the king and the queen had scheduled for here in Washington over the next few days? And are there any discussions to change some of those plans?

FOSTER: I think there are discussions not about him coming over broadly. I think he's going to come over. Yes, details of the plan. So, I think Washington is a very secure environment in terms of all the events. So, speaking to Congress, events at the White House, events at the U.K. ambassador's residence in Washington. They're felt to be secure. I think once you -- after that, he's due to go to New York and to Virginia. And that's a much looser arrangement. And there -- you know, there was talk about walkabouts in those places. So, I think that's where the questions arise, whether they're secure or not. But still, the king keen to do them, but on the advice of the security team.

BLITZER: You're our royal correspondent. So, you're covering all of this.

FOSTER: Yes. We'll be at all the events. I won't be in Washington. I'll be in Washington and Virginia. But I'll be covering the Washington events and speaking to the panelists about all of that. I think, you know, there's a very -- you know, in living memory, the U.K.-U.S. relationship has never been so bad. But this is about government to government.

What the king is keen to do is talk about what happened 250 years ago to celebrate with the U.S. And to really make the point that since then, at least, the relationship has only become stronger. I think if he canceled this visit, it would really undermine the message that the king wants to show solidarity with the U.K., with the U.S., particularly with the U.S. people at this time. So, canceling the visit would undermine that message, which is why he's so keen to come.

BLITZER: It's an important visit indeed, Max. Thanks very much for joining us. Appreciate it very, very much.

And still ahead, Iran's top diplomat returns to Pakistan despite President Trump's decision to scrap plans for U.S. envoys to visit Islamabad. We'll go live to Islamabad for the very latest on where the peace talks stand. We'll be right back.

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WHITFIELD: All right. We'll update you on the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington in a moment. But first, let's turn to efforts to end the war in Iran. Iran's top diplomat returned to Islamabad today, meeting with Pakistan's mediators to work on a truce between the U.S. and Iran.

On Saturday, President Trump canceled a trip of his top envoys to Pakistan for talks after Iran refused to meet directly with U.S. officials. Trump now says talks will continue by phone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We have all the cards. If they want to talk, they can come to us or they can call us. But again, they know what has to be in the agreement. Very simple. They cannot have a nuclear weapon. Otherwise, there's no reason to meet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Trump also spoke with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer today about the urgent need to get ships moving again in the Strait of Hormuz. Starmer warning the closed waterway is causing severe consequences to the global economy.

CNN's Nic Robertson is in Pakistan for us. Nic, good to see you. So, where do negotiations stand right now?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: -- the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranians have been saying for a while that they want the blockade, the United States blockade lifted. But what we've heard today from state-related news media, this is something part of the message that the Iranian foreign minister is bringing to Islamabad and to many of his meetings, is that they want a new legal setup. The Iranians want a new legal setup on the Strait of Hormuz.

This sort of falls into that area where they feel that because they have control of it, they have rights to make money out of it by charging ships for passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Obviously, this is something that the United States is not going to go for. The broader International Community (INAUDIBLE). Precisely where that has landed in that list of things President Trump said he received from the Iranians over the weekend that just didn't go far enough, we don't know, but that does seem to sort of indicate a, you know, potentially moving apart of positions.

That said, the Iranians have been involved, the foreign minister has been involved in pretty intense movement over the past couple of days.

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Yesterday he sort of arrived in here very early in the morning, had those meetings through the night, had more meetings late afternoon. Then he flew to Oman where he had more meetings with Omani officials and widely believed on the margins of that to have met with a number of other significant regional figures. We don't know precisely what will happen.

Then he flew back here to Islamabad. He just had four hours of meetings in Islamabad with the field marshal, the top negotiator in Pakistan. Now, he's taken off, and he's taken off to go to Moscow to meet with President Putin.

So, his -- the Iranian diplomacy seems to be in full gear. They -- the time is important for them, but their negotiating, as far as we know, it creates the impression actually big gaps remain.

WHITFIELD: All right. Nic Robertson, we'll leave it there. Thank you so much. All right. coming up, acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche says the alleged gunmen appear to be targeting Trump administration officials. The new details just coming in about the warning from the suspect's brother minutes before the shooting in D.C.

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