WASHINGTON — Secret Service agents rushed President Donald Trump off the stage at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner Saturday night after shots were fired at the Washington Hilton. Trump had been preparing to deliver his first address at the dinner when the gunfire interrupted the program.

Cole Tomas Allen, a 31-year-old tutor from Torrance, allegedly ran past a security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton and fired two shots. Law enforcement officials identified the suspect as a graduate of Caltech, and his manifesto characterized its targets using sexually violent language. Oz Pearlman, a mentalist serving as the entertainer for the night, was performing a trick for Trump and the first lady when the shots rang out.

Within hours, Trump held a news briefing at the White House where he called for unity and offered overtures to the press corps. "I just want to say you did a fantastic job, what a beautiful evening and we are going to reschedule," he said. "I fought like hell to stay, but it was protocol."

He said he would like to reschedule the event within the next month and told a television interviewer on Sunday he was committed to attending the dinner within 30 days. He had been making final adjustments to his planned remarks aboard Air Force One up until Saturday morning. The attempted attack marks the third time in less than two years that he has faced a threat from a gunman.

"The people that do the most, the people that make the biggest impact, they are the people that they go after," Trump said. "If you're a consequential president, you're in much more danger than if you're not a consequential president."

He argued that the security breach illustrates why legal challenges delaying the White House ballroom project should be dismissed, and described the Washington Hilton as "not a particularly secure building." He said the $400-million project was "ahead of schedule." A federal appeals court allowed construction to continue through early June.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation sued last year to stop the ballroom project, arguing that Trump lacked authority to make architectural changes to the White House grounds. "The White House is the most evocative building in our country and any changes should go through a review process, including a public comment period," said Carol Quillen, president and chief executive of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. He described the lawsuit as brought by "a woman walking a dog."

The venue for the annual dinner is selected by the White House Correspondents' Association, an independent organization of journalists, not by the White House. Protesters also infiltrated the Washington Hilton during the event to protest the Iran war and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.