Getty Images photographer Andrew Harnik takes photos as agent points his weapon after an incident at the annual White House Correspondents Association Dinner on April 25, 2026 in Washington, D.C. According to reports, President Donald Trump, along with other government officials, were evacuated from the Washington Hilton. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Trump evacuated from White House Correspondents’ Dinner after shots fired
Security forces responded to an incident near a screening area, and authorities took one person into custody.
President Donald Trump was declared safe by the Secret Service after being evacuated from the White House Correspondents’ Dinner at a hotel in Washington, D.C., on Saturday night after shots were fired.
Trump’s press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, said the president would deliver a statement in the briefing room at the White House later Saturday night. In a social media post, Trump said he was in “perfect condition.”
Anthony Guglielmi, a Secret Service spokesman, said in a statement on social media the incident occurred near the main magnetometer screening area at the dinner. “The president and first lady are safe along with all protectees,” he said. “One individual is in custody.”
An initial press pool report from the hotel after the shooting occurred said, “There were several loud bangs, and the Secret Service, with guns drawn, rushed the pool out of the room. The Secret Service pushed us back, screaming ‘Shots fired.’”
Jacqui Heinrich of Fox News said on social media shortly after 9 p.m. Eastern that she was behind the podium with other guests, “in a hold,” and Trump was still down the hall and did not want to leave.
Trump himself confirmed that in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social.
“Quite an evening in D.C. Secret Service and Law Enforcement did a fantastic job,” he wrote. “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. President DONALD J. TRUMP”
CNN’s Wolf Blitzer said on air that he heard “a really loud blasting away,” and the next thing he knew, he was being pushed to the floor by police. “I was just a few feet away from the gunman, and it was a really scary moment,” Blitzer said.
The annual formal dinner, at the Washington Hilton hotel, is hosted by an organization made up of journalists who cover the White House. Trump’s invitation to the event had been controversial, given his frequent personal attacks on reporters and the news media in general.
The Hilton was also the site of another attack on a president when, on the afternoon of March 30, 1981, gunman John Hinckley shot and wounded President Ronald Reagan while he was leaving the hotel. Reagan recovered after a stay in the hospital. Reagan’s press secretary, James Brady, also was wounded.
Details of the shooter’s motive and plan were not immediately clear, but if the shooter was targeting Trump, it would be the third attempt on his life.
Trump was injured in an assassination attempt during a campaign stop in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024. Another suspected assassin was arrested near Trump’s home in Florida on Sept. 15 of that year.
This is a breaking report that will be updated.