Everyone on the ground!” Coverage from the Trump gala
The evening started as planned. The flag bearers had just left the hall and the clock showed 20:30 EST (02:30 Polish time). A moment earlier, the United States national anthem was sung.
No one expected the evening to take such a dramatic turn.
US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania took their places on stage, next to the president of the White House Correspondents' Association, an organization representing reporters covering the work of the White House. Vice President JD Vance also sat in one of the seats of honor. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other cabinet members sat at tables right in front of the stage.
U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance attends the White House Correspondents' Dinner at the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, April 25, 2026.Photo by MANDEL NGAN / AFP / AFP
Also in the room were numerous senior government officials in the constitutional order of succession of power, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services.
The guests had just sat down to the appetizer – burrata with sugar snap peas.
It was Trump's first time attending the event, as he consistently refused to attend the dinner throughout his first term and the first year of his second presidency. His presence was widely commented on even before the gala began.
Melania and Donald Trump moments before the shootingYURI GRIPAS / POOL / PAP
Suddenly, at least several men in suits ran into the room.
Everyone on the ground! Everyone on the ground!
– one of them shouted.
The guests threw themselves under the tables and on the floor. There was an eerie silence in the room, punctuated by the sounds of commotion coming from the entrance on the opposite side of the room.
Everyone started to hide
— reported FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, who was present at the site.
It quickly became clear that there had been a real attack. It was not known how close the attacker was to the three thousand participants of the event and to the president himself. However, the clearly heard shots left no doubt.
“They protected him and led him away”
According to Amalia Cepero, a bartender serving the event, the alleged perpetrator “calmly approached”, then took off his jacket and fired shots.
From the shots it looked like he just ran towards the security gates
she said.
Surveillance footage that emerged later showed a man running towards metal detectors that guests had passed through moments earlier. Secret Service agents reacted immediately and opened fire.
Within seconds, the Secret Service shielded Trump, his wife and key members of the administration and brought them to safety. Marty Makary compared the agents' reaction to the actions taken in Butler, Pennsylvania, where Trump fell victim to an assassination attempt in 2024.
They sheltered him and led him away
– he said.
The president disappeared
When, after a few minutes, the guests started coming out from under the tables, the stage was already empty. For a long time, the hundreds of people gathered in the hall did not receive any official information. High officials, journalists and other guests did not know where the president was or how serious the threat was.
At the same time, agents moved through the halls with guns drawn, trying to find and secure cabinet members.
Ambassador Greer! Are you okay?
— one of the agents called out, after which U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer confirmed that he was uninjured.
A federal agent is patrolling the area after the incidentAndrew Harnik / Staff / Getty Images
At least several high-ranking officials remained in the room long after the president was evacuated. Among them was Scott Bessent, who sat close to the stage and left the room after a few minutes, escorted by agents.
“It's just part of the job.”
Half an hour later, Weijia Jiang, a CBS reporter and president of the association organizing the event, came to the microphone. She informed that the president would like to continue the dinner, but security procedures require the immediate evacuation of the building.
But he promised to organize this dinner again in the next 30 days. And in 30 minutes he will be speaking at a press conference at the White House – this is no joke!
she said.
Exactly two hours after the attempted assassination, Trump stood at the podium in the White House briefing room. In front of him were the same reporters in tuxedos and evening gowns who had been sitting at the Hilton a moment earlier.
Donald Trump during a press briefing after the shooting at the White House galaYURI GRIPAS / POOL / PAP
Trump said he spoke with a Secret Service officer who was shot, but the bullet stopped in his bulletproof vest. As he said, the injured person “is doing very well.”
It's always shocking when something like this happens
– said the president, praising the services for their immediate response.
He remained calm and confidently stated that politics was a dangerous profession.
It's just part of the job
– he said.
At the president's side were FBI Director Kash Patel, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. Trump said the suspect had several weapons on him and was acting alone.
“Lone Striker”
Later, service representatives clarified that the detainee had a shotgun, a pistol and several knives. According to acting Washington Police Chief Jeffery Carroll the man moved towards the checkpoint with a gun in his hand.
Carroll described him as a “lone attacker” who had no accomplices. He also added that he was not hit by officers' fire during the intervention.
Shortly thereafter, it was revealed that the alleged perpetrator was 31-year-old Cole Thomas Allen, who lives near Los Angeles. He was supposed to work as a teacher and check in at the Hilton Hotel as a guest. He was taken to hospital and is scheduled to appear in court on Monday.
Jeanine Pirro, federal prosecutor for the District of Columbia, said the suspect would face charges:
- assaulting a federal officer with a dangerous weapon
- and the use of a firearm while committing a violent crime.
She didn't rule out later ones either terrorism-related chargesif the investigation confirms such a motive.
This person was bent on doing as much harm and destruction as possible
she said.
“I don't want these sick people to change the way we live.”
After ten o'clock in the evening, the room began to empty. Guests had to leave the building through a different exit because the entrance they had previously entered was secured as an incident site.
Earlier, small groups of protesters gathered in front of the hotel to protest Trump's policy in the Middle East. There was also information that two demonstrators managed to get into the hotel lobby and loudly demanded the resignation of Defense Minister Pete Hegseth in connection with the war with Iran.
Demonstrators protesting against attacks in Gaza, Iran and Lebanon outside the Washington Hilton hotel in Washington, D.C., April 26, 2026.Celal Gunes / ANADOLU / Anadolu via AFP / AFP
The security of the Washington Hilton hotel immediately became a topic of discussion. It was in front of this building that an assassin seriously injured President Ronald Reagan in 1981.
Trump initially signaled that he would like to return to the gala and continue the evening. When it became clear that this would not be possible, he announced that a new date would be set quickly.
We really wanted to continue this because I don't want these sick people – these thugs, these horrible people – to change the way we live
– he said.
We'll have to make better arrangements for our next dinner
– he added at the end of the press conference.
