Why is security so high at a high-level dinner hosted by the

On the evening of April 25th local time, the annual dinner of the White House Correspondents' Association was being held at the Hilton Hotel in Washington. The internal affairs of the hall were gathering and toasting, but suddenly, gunshots erupted.

 

A California man in his thirties, carrying multiple weapons such as firearms and knives, rushed through the security checkpoint and was arrested after exchanging fire with Secret Service agents. A special agent was hit, fortunately the bulletproof vest saved his life.

 

This top-level political dinner, attended by the President, Vice President, First Lady, Secretary of Transportation, Secretary of Health and Human Services, and Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), had its security line virtually non-existent.

 

A journalist stationed in the United States witnessed this scene on site: when they entered through the door, they just casually glanced at the invitation letter without any further identity verification process.

 

According to sources cited by CNN, on-site security is not entirely led by the Secret Service, but relies on third-party security companies. The analysis points out that the core loophole lies in the fact that journalists only need to present an invitation letter to enter, and identity verification is virtually non-existent.

 

So, why is security so lax on such an important occasion? This starts with the tradition of the White House Correspondents' Association dinner.

 

The banquet has a history of over a hundred years. The association was founded in 1914 and has been holding annual banquets since 1921, with the original intention of strengthening communication between the media and government officials; The attendance of the president was a long-standing tradition until it was broken during Trump's presidency.

 

Trump once publicly called the dinner "boring and negative". This attendance in 2026 is his first participation in the event since taking office as president, and is interpreted by the outside world as an "ice breaking journey" in his relationship with mainstream media in the United States.

 

Tradition not only shapes the atmosphere of dinners, but also solidifies the approach to security.

 

In order to "not affect the normal operation of the hotel" and maintain the relaxed tone of the banquet "social gathering", the long-standing security practice has been to focus on the core area of the banquet hall for security checks, with wide entry and strict exit at the periphery. In this way of thinking, a beautifully crafted invitation letter becomes the passport itself.

 

The problem is that the threat has already escalated, but the defense line has not followed up.

 

Today, as the White House has been repeatedly infiltrated by drones, the threat of terrorism has evolved from "assassinating lone wolves" to "professional coordinated operations". However, the security defense line for political gatherings mostly remains within the century old tradition of "preventing gentlemen but not villains".

 

Security analysts point out that there is a significant gap between these "soft targets" and the US presidential inauguration ceremony in terms of alert range, technological means, and identity screening levels.

 

After the shooting, Trump's reaction was even more intriguing.

 

He was quickly escorted out of the stage wing passage by special agents. Subsequently, Trump shifted the topic to the ongoing White House banquet hall renovation project at a press conference - a $300 million project that is currently stalled due to a lawsuit.

 

Looking back at the project: In July 2025, the White House announced a budget of approximately $300 million for a banquet hall renovation project, with the East Wing to be demolished in October. Due to lack of congressional authorization, failure to submit planning proposals and environmental impact assessments, sued by historical preservation organizations. In March 2026, a federal court ruled that the White House had no authority to unilaterally renovate historic buildings and halt construction.

 

According to US media analysis, facing the court's suspension, Trump used the shooting incident as a marketing project: claiming that the security of the old building was "not strong", and that the new hall needed to be protected against drones, bulletproof glass, and underground bunkers. He portrayed the shooting as evidence of the urgent need for security upgrades, attempting to bypass obstruction from Congress and the courts.

 

However, Judge Leon has already made it clear in his ruling that US national security is not a "blank check" for the executive branch to bypass legal procedures.

 

This shooting not only pierced through the security checkpoint of Hilton hotels.

 

The operation of power in Washington is built on a series of 'trusts': trust in the authority of invitations, trust in the solidity of security checkpoints, trust in the golden signboard of the Secret Service. And the gunfire on April 25th is piercing through everything. (End)

 

(International Bureau of Knowledge column)

 

(Editor in charge: Ma Changyan)