Administration

Patel expecting future WHCA dinner security to be ‘entirely’ different

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by Ashleigh Fields - 04/27/26 11:13 AM ET

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by Ashleigh Fields - 04/27/26 11:13 AM ET

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FBI Director Kash Patel on Monday said security at future White House Correspondents Association dinners will look “entirely” different following a shooting at the Washington Hilton Hotel this weekend.

Journalists and attendees raised concerns about the lack of vetting for guests at this year’s event, including the absence of magnetometers, ID checks and requests to present their ticket.

Reporters have asked Patel how the Secret Service will do better to vet those in proximity to the president at the highly regarded dinner honoring White House press coverage.

“Look, great question and we’re going to do it entirely differently,” Patel said during a Monday appearance on Fox News’s “Fox and Friends.”

“You heard the president say we would do this again in short order, 30 days or so. Security posture will be different, I’ll be working with the FBI [and the] police department, to assist in security and provide input,” he added.

Patel said he would lean on Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin for assistance in securing the event while noting agents investigating the shooting “have not slept” while in pursuit of answers regarding the attack.

“That is the great thing about having this law enforcement team, I can call Markwayne Mullen and say we have to do things differently. We will be better postured for the next event,” the FBI director said of Mullin, who oversees the Secret Service, which is a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sub agency.

President Trump has proposed hosting future dinners in the White House ballroom, which is currently under construction with an expected completion date sometime in 2028.

During a weekend appearance on Fox News’s “The Sunday Briefing,” Trump said he wouldn’t allow “criminals and these really bad people change the course of events in our country.”

Cole Allen, 31, has been identified as the suspected shooter and is currently in police custody.

Allen is expected to be arraigned on Monday on two charges including using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon.

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