Piers Morgan Criticizes 'Scandalously Lax Security' at WHCD After Shooting 

British journalist Piers Morgan blasted the "scandalously lax" security at the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday, April 25, following an alleged shooting attempt targeting President Donald Trump during the event.

Morgan described the situation as "shocking" and questioned how a shooter could have bypassed security to get so close to the president.

Taking to his official X account, he argued that the event should not proceed, stating that "nobody cares about awards or jokes" when shots are fired near the president.

The incident has sparked a broader debate about security protocols at high-profile Washington events, with Morgan emphasizing that continuing the dinner under such circumstances would be inappropriate. The dinner was canceled, but the president has suggested rescheduling it for a later date.

Meridith McGraw, White House reporter for The Wall Street Journal, posted immediately following the shooting Saturday, April 25, saying, “Lots of security questions about tonight — among them, why weren’t there any ID checks at all beyond a flash of a ticket? Why weren’t there any mags until we reached the basement of the Hilton?”

Morgan reposted her statement with his own, blasting the lack of security, saying, “Scandalously lax security given previous attempts to assassinate President Trump.”

Numerous attendees and high-profile witnesses at the WHCD have characterized the security measures as lax and "surprisingly weak." Witnesses reported entering the hotel without showing photo IDs and noted that invitations were simple paper printouts, which were not verified against an official list.

Some attendees claimed they reached the area near the ballroom without a ticket or by using tickets found abandoned in restrooms.

Guests noted that while the ballroom itself had magnetometers, the rest of the Washington Hilton remained open to the public, allowing the suspect Cole Tomas Allen — a hotel guest — to bypass initial layers of security.

Reports from The Washington Post indicate the event was not granted the highest level of security status, which restricted the full use of federal resources despite the presence of the POTUS, Vice President J.D. Vance and various Cabinet members.

Despite these criticisms, Secret Service Director Sean Curran defended the operation, stating that the "multi-layered protection" worked as intended because the gunman was apprehended near a magnetometer before he could enter the ballroom.

Trump also praised the agents, though he has since suggested moving future dinners to a more secure, dedicated ballroom at the White House.

The suspect reportedly mocked the "insane" lack of security in a manifesto sent minutes before the attack.

Allen noted he was able to enter with multiple weapons without being challenged. Allen characterized the hotel's security posture as arrogant and focused only on external threats, claiming he could have easily introduced further danger.

Tim Röhn, Senior Editor of German media company Axel Springer, said, "What really surprised me was how lagged the security measures were ... everyone who was able to show a screenshot of the invitation for this dinner was allowed in ... you didn't even have to take off your jacket to enter the ballroom.”