On Saturday night, the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington was disrupted after a gunman fired shots near the security checkpoint outside the Washington Hilton. Reuters shares that the White House has now confirmed that President Donald Trump was the intended target.

"It does appear that he, he did, in fact, set out to target folks that work in the administration, likely including the president," said U.S. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche Blanche to NBC News' "Meet the Press." The gunman was revealed as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California. Blanche also shared that the suspect likely traveled by train from Los Angeles to Chicago and then to Washington.

The assassination attempt unfolded in an area where guests gathered for the annual dinner celebrating the press and political insiders. Officials said the suspect was armed with multiple weapons and fired at a Secret Service officer, who was hit while wearing a ballistic vest and is expected to recover.

Investigators are reviewing writings and social media posts tied to the suspect as they try to pin down the motive. Still, the White House has already described the episode as an assassination attempt on Trump. 

Reuters reported that acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Trump and administration officials were the likely targets. 

The shooting rattled a gathering that usually mixes satire, celebrities, and politics in a room full of journalists, lawmakers, and guests.

"He barely broke the perimeter," Blanche said. "And by barely, I mean by a few feet."