President Donald Trump was safely evacuated from the White House Correspondents’ Dinner following what the Secret Service described as a “shooting incident.”
One individual was in custody following the incident, but the “condition of those involved is not yet known,” according to a statement posted on social media by the Secret Service. The FBI confirmed in a statement that the subject was in custody.
The president, first lady, and all Secret Service protectees were safe following the incident, the Secret Service statement said.
Just after 8:30 p.m., shortly after Trump had appeared for the first time as US president at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner and taken his seat onstage, there was suddenly shouting in front of the stage, according to Tim Röhn, Senior Editor of the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network, who was at the event. Business Insider is part of the network.
Tim Röhn
Röhn reported that pushing and chaos broke out, people started running, guests threw themselves to the floor, and hid under tables. From behind the curtains onstage, heavily armed officers emerged and pointed their rifles at the crowd.
“Quite an evening in D.C. Secret Service and Law Enforcement did a fantastic job,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post after the incident. “They acted quickly and bravely. The shooter has been apprehended, and I have recommended that we ‘LET THE SHOW GO ON’ but, will entirely be guided by Law Enforcement. They will make a decision shortly. Regardless of that decision, the evening will be much different than planned, and we’ll just, plain, have to do it again.”
Despite crowds of sometimes aggressive Trump opponents outside the hotel, guests only needed a screenshot of an invitation to gain access to the premises and the building, Röhn reported. Photo ID wasn’t required. Inside, Secret Service agents patrolled in some areas with dogs, and there was an airport-style security checkpoint in front of the ballroom. Jackets did not need to be removed for security checks.
CBS senior White House correspondent Weijia Jiang took the stage shortly after the incident to say the night’s programming would continue. She later addressed the crowd a second time, saying law enforcement had requested that everyone leave the premises “consistent with protocol,” and that Trump “insists” the event be rescheduled within 30 days.
Trump plans to hold a press conference about the incident this evening, Jiang said. Röhn reported that, following Jiang’s remarks, attendees started leaving the venue.
Until the start of the event, it was unclear when Trump would appear and how long he would stay. The WHCD dinner usually lasts about three hours, and it was uncertain whether Trump would spend more time at the Hilton than just for his speech.
Though Trump appeared as a private citizen and media personality in 2011 and 2015, he notably boycotted the White House Correspondents’ Dinner during his first term.
The Washington Hilton hotel, long the site of the annual dinner, is where President Ronald Reagan was shot and wounded in a 1981 assassination attempt, just steps outside the hotel after addressing a labor gathering.
Trump himself was the target of two assassination attempts during his 2024 campaign, including a shooting at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, that left him injured, and a separate incident at one of his Florida golf courses in which a suspect was apprehended and later sentenced to life in prison.
Both Vice President JD Vance and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, the first and second in line to the presidency, were in attendance at Saturday’s event.
In a post on X, Johnson wrote that he and his wife were “thankful no innocent people were harmed and everyone is now safe.”
“We’re grateful as always for the law enforcement and first responders who acted so quickly to bring the situation under control,” Johnson wrote. “Praying for our country tonight.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
