President Donald Trump took to Truth Social on Saturday evening to respond to a shooting near the White House, saying the suspect had “a violent history and possible obsession with our Country’s most cherished structure.” The gunman, identified as 21-year-old Nasire Best, died at a hospital after Secret Service officers returned fire near the gates of the White House. It was the third shooting incident in the vicinity of Trump in the space of a single month.
“Thank you to our greatand Law Enforcement for the swift and professional action taken this evening against a gunman near the White House, who had a violent history and possible obsession with our Country’s most cherished structure,” Trump wrote. “The gunman is dead after an exchange of gunfire with Secret Service Agents near the White House gates.”
Trump also used the moment to renew his call for a new presidential facility. “This event is one month removed from the White House Correspondent’s Dinner shooting, and goes to show how important it is, for all future Presidents, to get, what will be, the most safe and secure space of its kind ever built in Washington, D.C. The National Security of our Country demands it!”
What Happened Near the White House on Saturday Evening
The US Secret Service confirmed in a statement posted on X that the suspect was in the area of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue when he “pulled a weapon from his bag” shortly after 6 p.m. EDT and began firing. Secret Service officers returned fire, struck the suspect, and he was later pronounced dead at a hospital.
A law enforcement official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the investigation, identified the suspect as 21-year-old Nasire Best.
Suspect Had Prior History of Attempting to Breach White House Security
District of Columbia court records reveal that Best was no stranger to White House security. He was arrested in July 2025 after he attempted to enter a different White House checkpoint without authorisation, did not heed officers’ commands to stop, “claimed he was Jesus Christ” and said he wanted to be arrested.
Following that incident, a “” was issued, a legal measure typically ordering a defendant not to go near a person or specific area before a trial. A bench warrant was subsequently issued in August after a notice of “noncompliance” against Best, though he did appear for a later hearing.
Third Shooting Near Trump in One Month
Saturday’s incident is the third occasion in the past month that gunfire has erupted in the vicinity of President Trump.
The previous incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner saw suspect Cole Tomas Allen sprint through a security checkpoint with a shotgun, exchanging fire with Secret Service agents. Allen has pleaded not guilty to attempting to assassinate Trump and to related charges.
What Donald Trump said in Truth Social post
Thank you to our great Secret Service and Law Enforcement for the swift and professional action taken this evening against a gunman near the White House, who had a violent history and possible obsession with our Country’s most cherished structure. The after an exchange of gunfire with Secret Service Agents near the White House gates. This event is one month removed from the White House Correspondent’ Dinner shooting, and goes to show how important it is, for all future Presidents, to get, what will be, the most safe and secure space of its kind ever built in Washington, D.C. The National Security of our Country demands it!
