Trump returns to hotel where potential assassination attempt was stopped
President Donald Trump returned to the Washington Hilton on June 26, the site of an assassination attempt against him two months ago at the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner, to make a speech on faith and freedom.
"I remember this room very well," he said in a joking tone while addressing the Faith and Freedom Coalition's annual "Road to Majority" event. "Hopefully we'll have a little more … pleasant experience."
A gunman stormed through a security checkpoint during the April 25 press gala, attended by about 2,500 journalists, politicians and others, and opened fire on Secret Service agents, authorities said. Federal prosecutors charged the suspect, 31-year-old Cole Allen of California, with attempting to assassinate the president and assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon.
The White House Correspondents' Association later announced that another pared-down version of the dinner would take place on July 24. Trump, who was unable to deliver a planned speech at the April dinner, promptly accepted an invitation and said he would deliver remarks to the attendees.
Speaking to the evangelical Faith and Freedom Coalition, Trump highlighted many of the group's causes that he's championed, including signing an executive order to ban transgender athletes from women's sports.
"You've been with me from the beginning and pretty much like nobody else," he said. "I don't think anyone can top you. You were just great right from the beginning."
As the nation celebrates the 250th anniversary of its independence, he told the crowd, "America is back."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump returns to hotel where potential assassination attempt was stopped
Reporting by Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA TODAY / USA TODAY
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Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect
This story was originally published June 26, 2026 at 4:45 PM.