There Was A Shooting At Trump's Gala Dinner With The Media
- 26.04.2026, 8:08
The President of the United States was evacuated.
US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump were urgently escorted out of a White House Correspondents' Association dinner by Secret Service agents after a man opened fire with a shotgun at security personnel.
An armed man shot a Secret Service agent, an FBI spokesman told Reuters. About two hours after the incident, Trump told reporters at the White House that the officer was saved by body armor and was in "good shape."
The suspect, whom Trump called a "sick man," has been arrested. All federal officials who attended the dinner, including Trump, are safe.
Trump said the gunman "looked pretty vicious."
"A man rushed the checkpoint while armed with multiple weapons and was disarmed by very brave Secret Service personnel," Trump emphasized at a White House press conference after the incident.
Surveillance footage posted by Trump on the social media site Truth Social shows someone quickly running through the security post, taking the staff by surprise for a moment before they quickly drew their weapons.
"You know, he rushed in from 45 meters away, so he was very far away from the hall. He was moving. He was really moving fast," Trump said after the gala dinner was canceled.
This was a "lone wolf" acting on his own, Trump noted, adding, "This was a guy who looked pretty vicious when he was downed." Trump also said federal agents are searching the suspect's home in California.
The incident - details
After the sound of gunshots, those attending the dinner immediately fell silent, and then people began yelling, "Get down, get down!" Many of the 2,600 guests took cover under tables while waiters ran to the front of the dining room.
Security agents plowed cabinet members to the floor, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.
Other security officers in field uniforms stormed the stage and evacuated Trump and his wife. Some took up positions on the stage, pointing rifles into the ballroom. Cabinet members were escorted out of the room one by one.
White House Correspondents' Association Dinner - What's Known
The White House Correspondents' Association Dinner is a landmark event on Washington's social calendar that has also been attended by many members of Trump's cabinet and other senior administration officials. The event is being held in the ballroom on the basement level of the Hilton Hotel.
Trump wrote on social media that he hopes to reschedule the dinner - the first he has attended as president - in 30 days.
The site of Saturday's dinner, the Washington Hilton Hotel, was previously the site of an attempt on the life of President Ronald Reagan, who was shot by a would-be assassin outside the hotel in 1981.