US President Donald Trump ditched a New Jersey trip and skipped his son’s wedding weekend, rushed back to Washington for meetings at the White House as reports swirled that he was weighing fresh strikes on Iran. Then came the cryptic tease on Saturday – “deal shortly”. Hours later, gunfire erupted outside the White House, followed by silence from the US President after dropping the deal teaser.
All of this comes amid a series of negotiations between the US and Iran, mediated by Pakistan, which, at various stages, failed to reach an agreement.
Trump’s non-negotiables include that Iran must not have a nuclear weapon and must hand over its enriched uranium to the US. Trump also seeks a toll-free opening of the highly disputed Strait of Hormuz, which has largely remained closed since the war began on February 28.
Here’s how the ‘almost-close’ deal unfolded
Trump skips son’s wedding: The US President on Friday said he will be skipping his son Don Jr. ‘s wedding in Bahamas this weekend due to “circumstances pertaining to the government and my love for the United States of America.”
“I feel it is important for me to remain in Washington, DC, at the White House during this important period of time,” he wrote.
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Speaking to reporters on Thursday in the Oval Office, he said, “He’d like me to go, but it’s going to be just a small little private affair, and I’m going to try and make it.”
“This is not good timing for me,” he added. “Everything called Iran and other things.”
Trump cancels weekend plan: Prioritising a deal with Iran, Trump also cancelled his plan to spend the weekend at the Bedminster Golf Club in New Jersey, and returned to the White House on Friday evening. He was in New York for a political rally ahead of the mid-term elections in November.
Trump meets senior national security team: Amid the ongoing negotiations for a peace deal, Trump reportedly kept his options open and even “seriously considered” a military operation against Iran if last-minute talks failed to produce an agreement, US media outlet Axios reported.
The report added that Trump met his senior national security team to discuss the war with Iran, even as Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir visited Tehran and was joined by a delegation from Qatar in a last-minute bid to hammer out a deal.
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He was joined by US Vice President J D Vance, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and other officials.
“Iran is dying to make a deal. We’ll see what happens. But we hit them hard, and we had no choice because Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. They cannot have it,” Trump said at an event at the White House on Friday.
Trump says ‘deal shortly’: Trump on Saturday said that an agreement has been “largely negotiated”, subject to finalisation between the United States of America, the Islamic Republic of Iran, adding that the deal will be “announced shortly” and the Strait of Hormuz will be opened.
In a Truth Social post, he said that he had a “very good” call with leaders of Saudi Arabia, TheUAE, Qatar, Pakistan, Türkiye, Egypt, Jordan, and Bahrain on what he described as a “Memorandum of Understanding pertaining to peace.”
He added that he spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu which also “went well.”
“Final aspects and details of the Deal are currently being discussed, and will be announced shortly. In addition to many other elements of the Agreement, the Strait of Hormuz will be opened.”
Shots fired: However, as all of this was unfolding inside, chaos erupted outside when a gunman opened fire near the White House. The shooter, identified as 21-year-old Nasire Best, was shot dead by the US Secret Service in the crossfire.
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“Secret Service Police returned fire striking the suspect who was transported to an area hospital where he was pronounced deceased. During the shooting one bystander was also struck by gunfire. No injuries were sustained by officers. The President was in the White House during the incident, however no protectees or operations were impacted. This incident remains under investigation and additional information will be released as it becomes available,” the US Secret Service said in a statement.
Best had reportedly been pacing along the street for some time before approaching a police checkpoint, where the incident unfolded. According to a New York Times report, Best reportedly had a history of mental health issues and had earlier told authorities he was “Jesus Christ” and wanted to be arrested, according to past court records.
“We heard probably 20 to 25 what sounded like fireworks, but they’re gunshots, and then everyone started running,” a Canadian tourist told AFP.
Following the gunfire, the White House complex was placed under lockdown.
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Trump unfazed by the incident: According to Secret Service communications chief Anthony Guglielmi, Trump was inside the White House when the incident took place, but was “not impacted by the incident.”
“President Donald Trump was in the White House at the time — on a day when he was working to negotiate a deal with Iran — but was not impacted by the incident,” he said in a statement.
The confrontation took place just after 6 pm (2200 GMT), when a man near the White House security perimeter “pulled a weapon from his bag and began firing.”
Trump responds to firing: Taking to Truth Social, Trump thanked the Secret Service and Law Enforcement for the “swift and professional action” taken against a gunman near the White House.
“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!”
However, he has not yet provided an update on the deal, which he said was “close” to being finalised.
