Photo: Alamy
President Donald Trump reacted to the shooting outside the White House complex on Saturday evening, commending Secret Service agents for their bravery and response to the incident.
“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,” President Trump wrote in a post to Truth Social hours after the shooting.
“The gunman is dead 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!” he concluded.
According to the U.S. Secret Service’s preliminary report of the incident, a gunman opened fire at a White House security checkpoint shortly after 6:00 PM on Saturday.
Secret Service agents returned fire, striking the suspect. The alleged shooter, identified as 21-year-old Nasire Best of Maryland, was transported to an area hospital and pronounced dead.
No injuries were sustained by officers, though one bystander was struck by gunfire during the incident. Their condition is unknown, and officials have not yet released whether the round that hit them was fired by Best or law enforcement.
The president was also inside the White House during the shooting.
Best was reportedly already known by the Secret Service for a separate incident last year, Fox News reported. According to a July 2025 D.C. Superior Court filing, Best walked into a restricted area at a White House pedestrian access control post, ignored orders to stop, and “claimed he was Jesus Christ and that he wanted to get arrested.”
He was arrested on an unlawful entry charge in that incident.
Best interacted with the Secret Service, walking around the White House complex and asking about how to gain access at its entry posts. He was also involuntarily committed in June 2025 after obstructing vehicle entry to the White House.
Agents requested a stay-away order blocking Best from the White House area after the 2025 arrest.
