Panic briefly gripped the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday night after a shooting threat triggered a swift security response, forcing President Donald Trump and other top US leaders to evacuate the venue in Washington.
Shots were reported as guests ducked for cover, though officials said Trump was uninjured and no casualties were immediately confirmed.
Secret Service personnel and other authorities rushed into the banquet hall as hundreds of guests took cover under tables. Shouts of “Out of the way, sir!” and calls to duck were heard, news agency AP reported.
Several people in the crowd said they heard what sounded like five to eight gunshots. The banquet hall, packed with hundreds of journalists, celebrities and national leaders awaiting Trump’s address, was evacuated. National Guard personnel were deployed inside as attendees were allowed to exit but barred from re-entering, while security outside the venue remained extremely tight.
WHITE HOUSE CORESPONDENTS DINNER – “SHOTS FIRED”
WASHINGTON DC –
TRUMP AND MELANIA werent even aware shots were fired.
A man allegedly armed began shooting when he entered the hallway near the dining room,where he was met by POLICE and was tackled to the ground… pic.twitter.com/dKbcYO6Qr8
— MəanL¡LMə♡₩ (@MeanLILMeoW) April 26, 2026
Dignitaries seated at the head table included Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and Vice President JD Vance. Several Cabinet secretaries were also present at the event.
It was not immediately clear what happened. Media reports said that an alleged shooter was in custody, citing the Secret Service, but it was not officially confirmed.
CNN reports that a suspect has been shot and killed by officers with the U.S. Secret Service in the lobby of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, after the evacuation of President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump. pic.twitter.com/p1ntonqqbn
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) April 26, 2026
Guests were eating a spring pea and burrata salad, and staff were getting ready to serve the next course when security officers entered the ballroom and shouted for everyone to get down.
The Hilton hotel, which has hosted the dinner for years, is usually open to regular guests during the event. Security is generally limited to the ballroom area, with little screening for people who are not attending the dinner.
The banquet hall, where hundreds of journalists, celebrities and national leaders were waiting for Trump’s speech, was evacuated immediately. National Guard members were positioned inside the building, and guests were allowed to leave but not return. Security outside the hotel was also very tight.
‘Let The Show Go On’
“Let the show go on,” Trump said after a shooting threat disrupted the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington on Saturday night, praising law enforcement and confirming that the shooter had been apprehended.
In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump wrote, “Quite an evening in DC 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.”
Donald Trump’s first appearance as president at Saturday’s annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington has brought his administration’s often tense relationship with the media into the spotlight.
Trump attended the event on Saturday night alongside journalists, celebrities and political figures, including leaders from countries at war, as well as comic elements such as Triumph the Insult Comic Dog.
Attack During Trump’s 2024 Campaign Rally
Notably, Trump in July 2024 had narrowly escaped an assassination attempt while delivering a speech at a rally in Pennsylvania, when several gunshots were fired at him.
On July 13, 2024, a gunman shot the then-Republican presidential candidate during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, grazing his ear. One bystander was killed and two other people, in addition to Trump, were wounded before a government sniper killed the gunman, 20-year-old Thomas Crooks.