VIDEO Gunshots at the White House Correspondents' Dinner / Trump: “The attacker seemed pretty evil”
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump were evacuated from the White House Correspondents' Association dinner by Secret Service agents Saturday night after a man opened fire with a rifle on security personnel, officials said.
The gunman fired on a Secret Service agent, an FBI official told Reuters. About two hours after the incident, Trump told reporters at the White House that the officer had been saved by his bulletproof vest and was in “good condition.”
The suspect, whom Trump described as a “sick person,” was arrested.
All officials at the dinner, including Trump, are safe.
“A man attacked a security checkpoint armed with multiple weapons and was taken down by some very brave members of the Secret Service,” Trump said at a White House press conference after the incident.
Trump: We think he was a 'lone wolf'
Surveillance footage released by Trump on Truth Social showed a man quickly running through the security checkpoint, catching security forces off guard for a moment before they quickly drew their weapons.
Footage showing the shooting at the White House Correspondent's Dinner pic.twitter.com/NUr28xXNkI
— Faytuks News (@Faytuks) April 26, 2026
“You know, he attacked from 50 feet away, so he was very far from the room. He was moving. He was really moving,” Trump said after the gala dinner was canceled.
Officials believe he is a “lone wolf” who acted alone, Trump said, adding: “He was a guy who looked pretty evil when he was taken down.”
Trump said federal agents went to search the suspect's California home.
Scenes of chaos at the event where there were many high officials
After gunshots were heard, the dinner guests began to shout “On the ground, on the ground!”. Many of the 2,600 guests filed out, and the waiters ran for the entrance to the dining room.
Security agents pushed cabinet members to the ground, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.
Other security personnel, dressed in combat uniforms, rushed to the presidential office and evacuated Trump and his wife. Some security personnel took up positions on the stage, pointing their guns at the ballroom. Cabinet members were evacuated from the hall one by one.
Breaking- Shots fired at White House Correspondent's dinner. The unidentified shooter is dead (CNN)
President Trump, Flotus & others were rushed off stage pic.twitter.com/A5PA18zofZ
— The Conservative Read (@theconread) April 26, 2026
The White House Correspondents' Association dinner, a major event on Washington's annual social calendar, was also attended by many members of Trump's cabinet and other senior administration officials. The event takes place in the basement ballroom of the Hilton Hotel.
Trump and the first lady hid behind the podium before being quickly escorted out by Secret Service agents. Trump stayed backstage for about an hour, a source told Reuters. “We're staying,” Trump was heard saying.
Trump posted on social media that he hoped the dinner, his first as president, could be rescheduled in 30 days.
Trump has been the target of two assassination attempts
He was the target of two assassination attempts in 2024 while campaigning for re-election as president.
The most serious attempt occurred while Trump was campaigning at an outdoor rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July 2024. Trump was shot and wounded above the ear by a 20-year-old gunman. The attacker was shot dead by security personnel.
Just over two months after the Butler incident, Secret Service agents found a gunman hiding in bushes at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, while Trump was on the golf course. The incident was ruled an attempted murder and the suspect was sentenced to life in prison in February.
The venue for Saturday's dinner, the Washington Hilton, was the scene of an assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan, who was shot and wounded by a would-be assassin outside the hotel in 1981
