“I’m OK. It was a very sad evening in many ways,” Trump told Fox News.
He said his wife Melania Trump, who was rushed offstage with him after a gunman tried force his way into the hall, was also doing well.
“She’s doing great, I’m fine, and it was a very sad evening in many ways — and it was also an evening where a lot of people got together," Trump said. "So there was something very nice, I'll tell you.”
Following the shooting, the US president said that the new ballroom under construction at the White House — with planned panic rooms beneath — was needed in case of similar incidents.
“This event would never have happened with the Militarily Top Secret Ballroom currently under construction at the White House,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
He insisted that his project should be built as quickly as possible.
Shots were fired during the White House Correspondents Association dinner, which Trump was attending for the first time in his two terms in office.
He said he and members of his cabinet were safe, and that the suspect had been arrested.
Police identified the suspect as Cole Thomas Allen, a 31-year-old resident of California.