John Hinckley, the man who shot President Ronald Reagan in 1981, spoke out about Saturday’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting.
In an interview Sunday, Hinckley told TMZ that the Washington Hilton Hotel should not be hosting such events, “because bad things keep happening.”
“It’s just not a secure place to hold big events,” he said.
This photo taken by presidential photographer Mike Evens on March 30, 1981 shows police and Secret Service agents reacting during the assassination attempt on then US president Ronald Reagan, after a conference outside the Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C.. Reagan was hit by one of six shots fired by John Hinckley, who also seriously injured press secretary James Brady (just behind the car). Reagan was hit in the chest and was hospitalized for 12 days. Hinckley was aquitted 21 June 1982 after a jury found him mentally unstable. (Photo by MIKE EVENS / CONSOLIDATED NEWS PICTURES / AFP) (Photo by MIKE EVENS/CONSOLIDATED NEWS PICTURES/AFP via Getty Images)
Hinckley, who shot Reagan and 3 others in March 1981 in a failed assassination attempt, said that security was “lax” at the time.
He noted that he was able to sneak in by blending in with a crowd of reporters waiting outside the hotel in anticipation of Reagan’s exit. He claimed Secret Service agents didn’t approach him to question whether he was a reporter during their sweeps of the area, according to TMZ.
Hinckley told the outlet that a simple check to verify the identity of reporters would have triggered his quick departure from the crowd because he did not have any press credentials. (RELATED: ‘Give Peace A Chance’: Man Who Attempted To Assassinate Reagan Calls For End To ‘Violence’)
His plot would have been exposed, and things could have ended differently, had those measures been in place.
U.S. Rocked by Third Assassination Attempt on Trump as Security Fears Escalate
Political violence is intensifying after a gunman targeted Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner marking the third attempt on his life in under two years. Brian Kilmeade breaks down… pic.twitter.com/YctL2PwzW0
— Washington Eye (@washington_EY) April 27, 2026
Hinckley told TMZ he learned about the Saturday’s assassination attempt when the news flashed on his phone, and said it was “spooky” to flick on the television and see that the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting “took place at the same hotel as mine did.”
The most recent shooting sparked concern about security and safety, with many left wondering how the suspected shooter, Cole Allen, managed to fire several shots, including one that struck a Secret Service agent. Several agents returned fire, and the injured guard was protected by a bulletproof vest. Allen was arrested and is facing federal charges, but is reportedly not cooperating with authorities. (RELATED: Alleged WHCD Shooter Reportedly Sent Anti-Trump Manifesto To Family Just Before Rushing Ballroom)
Fox News reporter Bill Melugin also sounded the alarm about security issues at the WHCD event, and took to X to say that his name wasn’t verified on a formal list, nor did he have to show ID.
My thoughts on the security at the WHCD last night.
The first exterior security for me was on the street outside of the hotel. I flashed my ticket and was waved through in one second. My name was not checked against any list, I showed no ID, I was not patted down and did not go…
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) April 26, 2026
“I was not patted down and did not go through a metal detector. I probably could have shown a ticket from a prior year or a fake one as they barely looked at it,” he wrote April 26.
Following the 1981 shooting, Hinckley was also quickly arrested and served 34 years in a mental hospital after being found not guilty by reason of insanity. Hinckley received an unconditional release June 15, 2022, and apologized to the Reagan and Brady families for his actions, as well as actress Jodie Foster.
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