- Dinner guests rushed under the tables in panic.
- Tactical security teams, weapons drawn, took up positions on stage.
- Trump was evacuated as police and Secret Service swarmed the hotel.
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump were kicked out of the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner by Secret Service agents Saturday night after hearing loud bangs.
Other Trump administration officials attending the dinner were also evacuated after heavy commotion and noise near the hotel ballroom where the dinner was held.
The dinner attendees immediately stopped talking and people started shouting, “Get down, get down!” »
Hundreds of guests dove under tables as Secret Service agents in combat gear rushed into the dining room. Trump and the first lady leaned behind the stage before being shoved by Secret Service agents.
Many of the 2,600 attendees took cover as servers fled outside the dining room.
Shortly before being escorted off stage by security, Melania Trump appeared to react to something in the crowd and had a concerned look on her face, according to a CSPAN live stream.
Earlier, Russian media claimed that a gunman was killed at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner by the president’s security detail after allegedly opening fire, saying several bullets were fired before the suspect was neutralized.
However, President Trump, in an article in Truth Social, said security agencies acted quickly during an incident in Washington, praising their response and confirming that a suspect had been arrested.
“One hell of a night in DC Secret Service and law enforcement did a fantastic job. They acted quickly and bravely,” he said in a social media post.
“The shooter has been apprehended and I have recommended that we ‘LET THE SHOW GO ON’ but we will be fully guided by law enforcement. They will make a decision shortly,” he added.
He said the final decision on whether to hold the event would be left to law enforcement, adding that the evening would be “very different than planned” and might have to be postponed.
In another Truth Social article, Trump said law enforcement had ordered an immediate evacuation following a security incident in Washington, adding that top officials were safe and the event would be postponed.
“Law enforcement asked us to leave the premises, in accordance with protocol, which we will do immediately,” he said in a message on social media.
“I will be giving a press conference in 30 minutes from the White House press room. The First Lady, as well as the Vice President and all members of the Cabinet, are in perfect condition. We will speak to you in half an hour,” he added.
He said he had spoken with officials about the event and that it would be rescheduled within 30 days.
According to eyewitnesses, police swarmed the Washington Hilton Hotel, where the event was taking place, and helicopters flew overhead.
CNN and other US media outlets reported that Trump was unharmed.
The pool report said a suspected shooter was in custody, citing the Secret Service, but the report has not been officially confirmed.
Unconfirmed reports suggest one person was injured, although details on the cause of injury are not available.
The incident broke out after the welcome speech and during dinner, before Trump spoke.
Trump administration officials appeared to have been evacuated first and uncertainty remained over what exactly happened.
A cabinet official, Mehmet Oz, said “shots were fired upstairs” as it was being evacuated by security forces.
Trump was the target of an assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in 2024. A gunman fired several shots, killing a rally attendee and lightly injuring the president in the ear.
A few months later, another man was arrested after a Secret Service agent saw the barrel of a rifle sticking out of bushes on the perimeter of the West Palm Beach golf course where Trump was playing a round.
The Washington Hilton, where Saturday’s gala was held, is where Republican President Ronald Reagan was shot and killed by a would-be assassin in 1981.
Organizers informed guests that the White House Correspondents’ Dinner would continue despite the incident.
Trump was attending the event for the first time while in office.
The White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) invited Trump this year despite his repeated attacks on the media. The move sparked backlash in newsrooms, and hundreds of journalists signed an open letter asking attendees to speak out against Trump’s restrictions on the press.
Unlike every other president in the last 100 years, Trump has never attended the White House Correspondents’ Dinner while in office – until now.
The “Nerd Prom,” as attendees call it, brings together hundreds of Washington journalists and media executives to raise money for scholarships and awards.
In the Butler shooting, Trump was grazed in the right ear when a 20-year-old gunman opened fire from a nearby rooftop while the Republican presidential candidate was holding a campaign rally in Butler on July 13.
One person in the audience was killed and the shooter, Thomas Crooks, was shot and killed by a Secret Service sniper.
