White House Correspondents’ Dinner venue ‘Hinckley Hilton’ saw Reagan’s 1981 assassination attempt
WASHINGTON, DC: The shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner has renewed the upsetting memory of an assassination attempt on the 40th president, Ronald Reagan, over 40 years ago.
He was shot at the Washington Hilton building during a public appearance in 1981.
Washington Hilton is also known as ‘Hinckley Hilton’
The Washington Hilton Hotel, where the White House Correspondents' Dinner was organized, is infamous for its "bloody" history, and locals call the venue "Hinckley Hilton."
On March 30, 1981, a man named John Hinckley Jr fired six shots at Reagan within seconds. One of the bullets struck Reagan in his chest, severely wounding him.
Along with Reagan, three other people were also hit, including press secretary James Brady, a police officer, and a Secret Service agent.
Ronald Reagan was shot while walking on a passage called 'President's Walk'
President Ronald Reagan had just begun walking toward his limousine at the T Street NW exit after finishing his address to AFL-CIO members inside the Washington Hilton, when Hinckley opened fire from the crowd of bystanders.
Ironically, Reagan was walking on a passage which was called "President's Walk," and was built as a safe route after John F Kennedy's assassination.
What was most shocking about Reagan’s assassination attempt was the deeply disturbing intention of the assailant. Hinckley wanted to impress actress Jodie Foster.
Scott Bessent reminds ‘this is where Reagan was shot'
After a man opened fire at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday, April 25, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent revisited the uncomfortable memory of Reagan’s assassination attempt.
He told the New York Post that Reagan was shot at the very same place.
"I was hoping the room hadn't been breached," Bessent told The Post. "There were a lot of high-value targets in the room. The President and vice president were both up on stage - POTUS, FLOTUS, VPOTUS ... This is where Reagan got shot.”
Trump questions Washington Hilton's security, stresses need for White House ballroom
After the suspected gunman, 31-year-old Colle Tomas Allen, was taken into custody, President Donald Trump emphasised that the Hilton is not a safe building, as he pushed for a proposed White House ballroom with strong security measures.
"It's not a particularly secure building," he said of the Washington Hilton during a press briefing. "I didn't want to say this, but this is why we have to have all of the attributes of what we're planning at the White House."
"It's actually a larger room, and it's much more secure. It's got its drone proof. It's bulletproof glass. We need the ballroom," he stressed.
