President Trump and the first lady were uninjured after a shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday at the Washington Hilton. A suspect is in custody, the U.S. Secret Service said.
In remarks from the White House after the incident, the president said a Secret Service agent who was shot while wearing a bulletproof vest is “doing great.” The Secret Service said the shooting occurred at a security screening area inside the venue near the entrance to the main ballroom.
Trump shared surveillance footage online that appears to show law enforcement reacting to an assailant sprinting through part of the hotel. He also posted photos showing a shirtless man lying face down. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said charges would be filed against the suspect soon.
Jeffery Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department said at a law enforcement press conference that the suspect “was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives.” Authorities believe the suspect was a guest at the hotel. U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said the suspect is being charged with using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon, with additional charges likely. The suspect is being evaluated at a local hospital and was not hit by gunfire, law enforcement said.
What sounded like gunshots were heard shortly after 8:30 p.m. ET. Several guests fled the ballroom where hundreds of journalists, politicians and other attendees were gathered, including Trump, Vice President Vance and other administration members. Video from inside the room showed security quickly clearing guests on the main stage — including the president and first lady — as someone can be heard shouting, “stay down.”
Trump praised the Secret Service on social media: “Quite an evening in D.C. Secret Service and Law Enforcement did a fantastic job. 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.”
Law enforcement evacuated prominent cabinet officials to rooms within the hotel, including EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and FBI Director Kash Patel. Trump later posted that all cabinet members were safe.
White House Correspondents Association President Weijia Jiang, speaking after the incident, said journalism is a public service because “when there is an emergency, we run to the crisis, not away from it,” and added, “Thank God everybody’s safe and thank you for coming together tonight. We will do this again.”
Both President Trump and members of the press have been targeted in recent years. During his 2024 reelection campaign, Trump was grazed by a bullet at a July rally in Pennsylvania; two attendees were wounded and rally-goer Corey Comperatore was killed. A Secret Service sniper killed that perpetrator. In September 2024, a Secret Service agent at Trump International in West Palm Beach saw a man with a semi-automatic rifle concealed in tree line; that suspect fled and was arrested soon after. In 2018, a man mailed pipe bombs to perceived critics of Trump, including CNN offices; he was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
The Washington Hilton is also the site of past political violence: in 1981, President Reagan was shot and seriously wounded outside the hotel. Three others were injured, including press secretary James Brady, who sustained brain damage, was permanently disabled and later worked as a gun control activist. The White House Press Briefing Room, where Trump made brief remarks after the dinner, was later renamed in Brady’s honor.
— Deepa Shivaram contributed to this report.