Nicki Minaj was running late to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday night when gunshots erupted at the Washington Hilton, forcing Secret Service to rush President Donald Trump and his cabinet off stage.
The Trinidadian rapper had secured an invite through Fox News as her political alignment with Trump deepened over recent months, but the timing worked in her favor when a 31-year-old suspect identified as Cole Tomas Allen charged a security checkpoint at 8:36 p.m. carrying a shotgun, handgun, and multiple knives.
Allen fired at a Secret Service agent before being subdued and arrested, sending attendees scrambling for cover as chaos erupted inside the ballroom.
Nicki posted a video on TikTok moments after news of the shooting broke, showing her face in a car with a U.S. flag emoji and prayer hands emoji, confirming she’d been stuck in traffic and never made it to the event.
Multiple social media reports verified she was running late and missed the entire incident, which marked Trump’s first time attending the dinner as president after boycotting it for over a decade.
According to TIME, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said law enforcement believes Allen was targeting Trump Administration officials, likely including the president himself.
The suspect allegedly traveled to Washington by train from Torrance, California, where he worked as a teacher and held a degree in mechanical engineering from Caltech.
Trump later described Allen as a “lone wolf whack job” and noted that the officer who was shot was protected by a bulletproof vest and remained in good condition.
Allen faces charges of using a gun during a violent crime and assault on a federal officer with a dangerous weapon, with additional charges expected after his arraignment on Monday, April 27.
The incident derailed the annual event that typically features comedy and satirical remarks from the sitting president, but officials quickly rescheduled it for a future date.
Nicki’s political journey has generated significant headlines over the past year, from her appearance at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest in December where she proclaimed her support for Trump, to her attendance at the Trump Accounts Launch Summit in January where she clasped hands with the president on stage.