The U.S. acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the gunman behind Saturday’s attack at the White House correspondents’ dinner has been identified and is believed to have targeted President Donald Trump and other officials of his administration. 

Speaking on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, Mr Blanche said the gunman “set out to target folks that work in the administration, likely including the president.” 

The attorney general said the suspect was identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California and is now in custody, while further investigations to unravel his motive have commenced.

Armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives, Mr Allen fired at a federal official during the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner at the Washington Hilton on Saturday night, disrupting the event.

Though the shooter could not access the ballroom where Mr Trump and Vice President JD Vance were seated, the duo were swiftly escorted out of the venue by Secret Service agents.

In a post on Truth Social, Mr Trump on Sunday said: “What happened last night is exactly the reason that our great military, secret service, law enforcement, and, for different reasons, every President for the last 150 years, have been demanding that a large, safe, and secure ballroom be built on the grounds of the White House.”

The president said, “This event would never have happened with the Militarily Top Secret Ballroom currently under construction at the White House. It cannot be built fast enough! While beautiful, it has every highest level security feature there is plus, there are no rooms sitting on top for unsecured people to pour in, and is inside the gates of the most secure building in the World, The White House.”

According to Mr Trump, the “ridiculous ballroom lawsuit,” filed by a woman walking her dog, who he said has no standing to sue, should be dropped immediately. 

He added that nothing should be allowed to disrupt the project, which he said is on budget and well ahead of schedule.