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Soon, White House Arrival for King Charles and Queen Camilla; White House Correspondents' Dinner Shooting Suspect's Social Media Posts Show Shift to Political Rage; DOJ Says, Suspect Described Targeting Trump Administration Officials. Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired April 28, 2026 - 10:00   ET

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

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[10:00:00]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer with Pamela Brown, and you're in The Situation Room.

And we begin with the breaking news. Just minutes from now, pomp and ceremony over at the White House, President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump will formally welcome Great Britain's King Charles and Queen Camilla. We're going to show you all the splendor, the military honors, the national anthems and a 21-gun cannon salute.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: The king and queen will then sign the official White House guest book and exchange gifts with their hosts. And then King Charles and President Trump will meet in the White House before the king addresses a joint meeting of Congress this afternoon. A state dinner is then planned for tonight.

And this morning's festivities come a day after the royals and the first couple shared an afternoon tea. The king and queen then attended a garden party at the British ambassador's residence, mingling with some 600 guests. The state visit comes ahead of the 250th anniversary of American independence.

BLITZER: We're following all the developments as a very, very busy morning unfolds over at the White House as well as here in the situation room.

Let's begin our coverage this hour with CNN White House Correspondent Alayna Treene. Alayna, you're there, a lot of pomp and circumstance coming up today. Walk us through today's events.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, an exciting day with the royals here at the White House, Wolf and Pam. And I should note that the president's affection for a lot of the pageantry that surrounds the royals is going to be a big asset for the king and queen today as they work to strengthen the bonds between their two countries.

But, look, I want to kick off with what we're about to see moments from now. We're going to see the president and First Lady Melania Trump host this state arrival on the South Lawn of the White House. You're already seeing these images of a lot of the fanfare that is taking place now, drying upon a tradition that dates back all the way to the 18th century. The president and the first lady are going to mark their arrival with a traditional military arrival ceremony. We're told there will be military honors rendered by the U.S. Army Herald Trumpets. We're also going to hear the national anthems from both parties as well. And then after that we're told there'll be an inspection of the troops and a troop and review. And then we'll hear some remarks from President Donald Trump on the South Lawn there.

Now, after that, we're going to see the president, the first lady, King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla. They're going to participate in a pass in review of 300 U.S. service members and nearly 500 members of the U.S. Armed Forces from all six military branches. This is a first, I should note, for state visits. Then we're going to see them go in and sign the White House guest book, obviously a big tradition for any foreign leaders who come and visit the White House, Wolf and Pam. And then they're going to participate in an official gift exchange in the blue room of the White House.

Later, we're going to see them participate in the cross hall of the White House in another greeting, a receiving line of delegations and different members from both countries. After that, we're going to see the couples kind of break off. We're going to have the president meeting behind closed doors with the king for a bilateral session. We'll see if that perhaps changes. We know the president often likes to have some reporters come in for those types of meetings, but for now, at least they say that it's going to be a private meeting between the two leaders.

We're going to see some events also play out, Wolf and Pam, with the first lady and the queen. And then tonight, of course, is really the big event. There's going to be that major state dinner here at the White House this afternoon, of course, in between, Wolf, see King Charles delivering a joint address to Congress, so a very, very packed day here with the royals. Wolf?

BLITZER: I love these ceremonial moments over at the White House.

Alayna Treene, thank you very, very much. Pamela?

BROWN: Yes, we should be carrying it live soon.

And I want to bring in CNN Royal Correspondent Max Foster, who is also at the White House. And, Max, this visit comes as the special relationship between the U.S. and Great Britain strained, right? The royals are supposed to avoid politics, but will the king and queen look to tamp down the tension?

MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's interesting the way the whole visit has been so carefully orchestrated. I think it's particularly noteworthy. I mean, Alayna was talking about these bilateral meetings between the king and the president. There are going to be many opportunities for that, but none of them are on camera, none of them are with sound, and none of them have reporters in the room. [10:05:00]

So, I think, you know, that's never been done before in White House memory as far as I'm aware.

So, it's interesting that they control everything that happens within the White House, and they clearly listen to the palace saying, we don't want any moments where the king might be compromising his constitutional role being dragged into political conversations. So, that's really interesting. And also the level of the honors the president is honoring the king with.

So, obviously, this is the highest level honor that you can give a visiting head of state. Also, I understand tonight at the state dinner will be white tie as opposed to black tie, which is the highest diplomatic order of these events. The king will avoid any politics, frankly, because the politics is a disaster zone for the U.K. right now. And the king's here to represent the broader relationship between the two countries. And I've spoken to people involved in the speech tonight. You're going to really see that reflected tonight.

And also there is some sensitivity here, the king, you could argue, in the speech tonight will be speaking up for the global world order because he's going to be saying that one of the great things that's come out of this relationship is the institutions that came out of the Second World War, the United Nations and NATO, which obviously things that the president has criticized. But the king is going to use that moment in Congress to really speak for all democratic nations who believe in those institutions too.

So, we'll wait to see how that goes down with the White House, but it does seem as though the relationship is so strong and the president has such admiration for the king. He'll give him freedom to speak like that.

BROWN: All right, we shall wait and see. Max Foster, thank you so much from the White House.

And, Wolf, I just want to take a moment here and talk about how exciting it was for us to meet King Charles yesterday. Here's a picture of us. We were at the British embassy's garden party where he and Queen Camilla mingled with guests, and I believe we have some video as well, because we had a brief chat with his majesty. Here's some video of us.

BLITZER: He was extremely, extremely friendly very nice. And I always speak for both of us when I say we were totally honored to welcome him and Queen Camilla to Washington, D.C.

BROWN: We were indeed.

BLITZER: and we have an all-star panel of experts standing by to monitor the royals visit. This is history unfolding right now. David Sanger is a CNN political and national security analyst and a New York Times correspondent, Kate Williams is our royal historian, and Tim Naftali is our presidential historian. David, let me start with you. What are you watching for today as the president and the first lady host and welcome the king and queen of Great Britain? There'll be a formal ceremony. What are you looking for?

DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, Wolf, this is a really delicate line for the king to walk. Because, as you just heard, he represents the broader relationship, and I think we all saw that at the at the garden party yesterday, where they brought in this sort of broad swath of Washington, both elected folks and sort of the permanent establishment of Washington, and he was mingling and chatting along the way.

But the real challenge here is that the president has not just gone after policy differences with the existing British government and with Keir Starmer, the prime minister. He has gone after the fundamentals of the relationship by saying that NATO is useless. Of course, the U.S. and Britain together worked to help create NATO more than 75 years ago. He has declared that he might not come to the aid of NATO because NATO didn't come to the aid of him. Well, that resounds to the British as well.

So, in some way, the king has got to find a way to go endorse these institutions without getting into that specific fray. And the president has made those more and more inseparable, which is going to be the hard part here.

BROWN: Very fair point. And, Kate, you've covered so many royal state visits before. What makes this one so notable and what are the stakes here?

KATE WILLIAMS, CN ROYAL HISTORIAN: This is such a notable state visit. I mean, this is the biggest diplomatic challenge of Charles's reign. I think it'll be the most significant state visit of Charles' reign. Simply, Charles is in this moment because he's representing the United Kingdom. His role as a monarch is to improve the rather battered special relationship between the U.S. and the U.K. The prime minister, Kier Starmer, is not popular with the president, and at the same time, Charles sees himself and wants to be a world leader on the world stage. And just as David was saying there, it's very important to him that he sticks up for these institutions of peace and collaboration and understanding.

The royals and Charles understands his role, his soft power role, as not just representing the U.K. and the commonwealth, but also the world.

[10:10:07]

So, he's got this impossible, well, difficult line to walk between really being not political, but also essentially making these sort of veiled political statements.

So, we look forward to his address to Congress, the first one from a sovereign monarch since 1991. And we expect as it's half an hour, it's going to be much longer than what Elizabeth II gave in 1991. So, all eyes are on Charles and this really, when people say what is monarchy for, this is one answer. It's for soft power and it's also for providing, as Charles hopes to be, moral leadership.

BLITZER: Good point. Tim Naftali, you're our presidential historian. President Trump, as you know, has a well-known affinity for all the pomp and circumstance associated with the royal family. The president and the king are men of basically the same generation, nearly the same age. Do they have anything else in common?

TIM NAFTALI, CNN PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: Well, I would think that they both understand the importance of this moment. I just wanted to make clear that the British government decides when the king goes somewhere. And whatever the king says has been scripted by the government of the day, which would be Keir Starmer.

The British understand this affinity that you mentioned, Wolf, and needed now, in 1957, after the British and the French colluded with Israel in an attack on Egypt without telling the United States, it was -- it hurt the special relationship. Queen Elizabeth came the next year. She came to visit Canada, then she came to the United States. And it was a way of using that soft power to calm the waters and remind the United States of the importance of the special relationship and that visit to President Eisenhower worked.

In this instance, we have also a case of something happening in the Middle East. This time, the United States was involved in an operation with Israel without involving the British, and our relationship is troubled. But I would say that the British government this time is not really trying to connect with the American people, but just connect with one man.

No one doubted that Dwight Eisenhower was an ally of the special relationship. He had been the supreme ally commander in World War II. He liked the British monarchy. But in this case, one of the strengths the British have is Donald Trump's apparent love of pomp and circumstance, and the fact that he likes to be pictured next to a king. So, I believe that's why the British government sent him.

And if there's a connection between Charles and President Trump, it's that both understand pomp and circumstance. And in Charles' case, he knows he has to work hard to keep the president on the right side of the special relationship.

BROWN: And there will be plenty of pump and circumstance. As we've been talking about, there's the 21-gun cannon salute. There will be gift exchanges at this visit. But also, David, talk about some of the other broader geopolitical issues looming over the U.S. and U.K., and as Kate noted, the soft power the royal couple brings in this moment.

SANGER: Well, this is a great moment for soft power and it's a great moment for soft power because that is a good deal of the substance of the U.S. affinity with Britain and Britain's affinity to the U.S., which is pretty remarkable given the revolutionary war that we are marking the 250th anniversary of, and really shows you how the two countries can come together. Britain was the great world power until century and a quarter ago, and managed to let the United States rise up and take that role without going to war with it again, which is not a small point.

So, this is a relationship that needs work and to be cherished. And, obviously, it's got a big economic element to it as well. And given President Trump's interests and his own investments in Britain, I think you'll see a good deal of discussion in the background, never in the foreground, of the importance of that as well.

But you're also seeing the two countries trying to figure out how to go deal with China. And, remember, it's going to be President Trump who will be the visitor in two weeks in Beijing. And it's the question of how to go deal with this next rising superpower that is looming over both governments.

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BLITZER: And, Kate Williams, you're our royal historian once again. King Charles, as you know, had been a king in waiting for decades during the historic reign of his mother, Queen Elizabeth. What does King Charles need to accomplish during this current visit, and how is his relationship with the U.S. potentially different than his mother's relationship?

WILLIAMS: Yes. That is really the sort of the incumbent upon him, isn't it, Wolf. Charles first came to the US when he was 21 with his mother on one of her state visits. Queen Elizabeth made eight state visits during reign and also made visits in the 1930s before she came to the throne. So, she had this very longstanding relationship with the United States, and there were many state visits back and forth.

But Charles, this is his first one, and this is the one where he is being watched and, really, I think in terms of the historians of the future who are going to look back on Charles' reign, this is what they're going to be looking at. Did Charles fulfill the brief, which was repairing the special relationship and also, you know, befriending, you know, keeping on the right side of President Trump, but at the same time really making a point.

He's going to talk, I understand, he's going to say that our two countries have always found a way to come together. That's what sources have said he's going to say at some point during his Congress address, and also talking about the importance of unity and NATO and peace.

So, this is the question, can Charles do it? And, of course, he has long been in waiting. He's a very thoughtful, reflective man and this is how history is going to judge him.

BROWN: I am going to bring you back in, Tim, because, you know, in this era, it seems everything is political, as we've been talking about. The royal family is supposed to be above politics for the Constitution. King Charles is expected to address a joint meeting of Congress later today. Just how historically significant is this appearance at the Capitol and what are you watching for in his speech? NAFTALI: Well, you can be above politics and still be political in the sense that the king can't be partisan. But the king can support the views of the government of the day, and the government of the day wants a strong NATO and a strong special relationship and wants the America, the United States, to remain engaged in the world.

So, I expect to hear King Charles remind Congress of our commitment to each other and our storied military and security past, to remind members of Congress that members of the British Armed Forces died in Afghanistan, that the British assisted the United States in other areas of the world, that it was that the United -- that Britain was not just committed to the defense of Europe and wanting America to help, but that Britain wanted to defend American interests outside of Europe because it was in the U.K.'s interest that America be strong and safe.

I think you will remind everyone of 9/11. Queen Elizabeth's last visit to the United States was in 2010. It wasn't a royal state visit, but it was a visit to 9/11 Memorial, and she spoke at the United Nations. 9/11 touched Great Britain deeply. Not only were British subjects also killed, but it was an attack on the world.

And so I think Charles, I hope, I suspect, will remind Congress of that history, that history didn't begin in 2016 or 2025, that we have decades working together and that that relationship has benefited both sides.

So, I expect Charles to speak -- not to speak blandly but to speak forcefully in support of internationalism and America and Britain's role in that.

BROWN: All right. Tim, Kate, David, thank you all and stay with us, as we're seeing for the ceremony take place here on the White House lawn.

BLITZER: Coming up, the military honors will continue followed by the national anthems, the 21-cannon salute. We're moments away from the official arrival ceremony for King Charles and Queen Camilla at the White House. It's only just beginning. The pomp and circumstance will continue live.

Stay with us. We'll have extensive coverage.

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BLITZER: A live look right now over at the White House. Take a look at this, the president and the first lady, they're about to formally welcome their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla for their state visit. We're going to bring you the festivities live once they all get underway. This is very dramatic, very amazing pictures that you're about to see.

BROWN: Certainly. And we have other news we're going to get to here, Wolf. New this morning, we're learning some new details about the man charged with trying to assassinate President Trump Saturday at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. Authorities say they have accessed 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen's phone and are tracking his digital trail. A CNN investigation of his online post shows his focus evolving from video games to political outrage.

Justice Department officials spoke after his first court appearance yesterday.

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TODD BLANCHE, ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL: Law enforcement did not fail. They did exactly what they're trained to do. This was not an accident. It was a result, as we know now, of preparation.

[10:25:02]

What is clear from the complaint and from what we have so far is he was targeting President Trump. He described that in his manifesto. He was targeting administration officials. He described that. But as far as us understanding additional motivation, that's for the FBI and law enforcement.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: All right. Let's bring in CNN Senior Legal Analyst Elie Honig. Elie, let's begin with this attempted assassination charge. How did prosecutors make that case?

ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Well, Pam, I think the proof here is simply overwhelming. You start with the fact that you have a heavily armed individual who sprints through a Secret Service checkpoint towards a ballroom where the president is known to be speaking. On top of that, you have this individual's social media postings, which you just referenced, which show some degree of political anger. And the topper of all of this is the writings, the emails that this individual sent to various friends and associates shortly before this attack.

Those writings are not vague or theoretical. They are as clear and specific as can be. He talks about his, quote, rules of engagement. He talks about the people he will be, quote, targeting. He says he will be targeting administration officials prioritized from highest ranking to lowest ranking.

So, when you take it all together, Pam, prosecutors have to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt. I think there is no doubt here. I think that the attempted assassination charge will absolutely hold up in any court of law.

BROWN: So, U.S. attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro said that more charges are likely to be filed. What do you expect to see on that front?

HONIG: Well, first of all, I'd expect to see more attempted assassination charges. It is, of course, a crime to try to kill the president, but it also is a crime to try to assassinate the vice president or other cabinet members. And the writings that I referenced before are just as clear that he intends to kill, yes, the president, but also other high ranking cabinet officials.

The other thing that I think we're watching, to clarify here, is once they figure out all the ballistics, and Todd Blanche made clear they've not yet finalized their ballistic examinations, but once they can figure out exactly how many shots this person fired and exactly where they hit, we could see additional charges relating to assault or attempted murder of a law enforcement official, a federal official, including those Secret Service officers.

BROWN: Yes. And we have yet to see the video of how the Secret Service agent was shot, whether by friendly flyer or the shooter. How important is that evidence and the ballistics here?

HONIG: Yes. If it turns out that the shooter's shot is the one that hit the Secret Service agent, then you will have an attempted murder charge there, then you will have assault on a federal official. Even if not, though, you still will have at least an attempted assault. If you fire your gun in the vicinity of somebody, even if you don't hit them, that's going to be an attempted assault, especially if the person you're firing at is a uniform marked law enforcement official.

BROWN: And we've been talking a lot about this manifesto from the alleged shooter. You heard the acting A.G. mention it. He also says, the acting A.G., that the alleged shooter is not cooperating. What do you make of that?

HONIG: Yes. It doesn't really make much of a difference. They don't need his cooperation. They don't need him to give an admission after he's been read his Miranda rights because he already confessed in advance. And that manifesto, those emails, all of that is admissible against him in court.

Ideally, you would want his cooperation because you'd want to know for sure that nobody else was involved, there were no other co- conspirators, but they've done a very thorough investigation. There's no evidence that anyone else was involved at this point. But whether he cooperates or not, the evidence against him is just overwhelming.

BROWN: And there is a detention hearing set for Thursday. What happens next? What can we expect to learn?

HONIG: Well, I'll spoil the ending on that one for you, Pam. He's not getting bail, 100 percent. However, we could learn some really important information because prosecutors have to make a showing in order to get somebody locked up before trial in the federal system that the person is a danger to the community and/or that he's a flight risk.

Now, they're going to be able to show that really clearly. But what happens a lot in these cases is prosecutors file what's called a detention memo. We've seen a lot of these in high profile cases, and sometimes DOJ uses that, yes, to make their argument to the judge, but also to inform us in the public of some of the other details that the investigation has uncovered. So, we know how it's going to end on Thursday. We know he's going to be locked up pending trial, but I'm looking for that detention memo because that's a tool that prosecutors often use to inform the general public.

BROWN: All right. Elie Honig, thanks so much.

BLITZER: Elie, a quick question for me. I assume he is going to be in jail pending the trial. And then if he's convicted, potentially, he could get life in prison without the possibility of parole. Is that right?

HONIG: Absolutely, Wolf. This is a really important point. All of the crimes that have been charged against this individual, or certainly the attempted assassination crime, has a max penalty of life in prison. If he's convicted, he will get life.

Now, sometimes in state systems, you'll hear a person's been sentenced to life and then you'll read, he was released after 12 years or 18 years, that's parole.

[10:30:07]

That only exists in the state system.