WHAT better way to distract attention from his illegal and immoral war on Iran, his failing economy and the glaring grifting and corruption of the nation's treasury, wealth and resources by the drumpf / trump clan, the drumpf / trump-vance administration, their allied oligarchs and the gop / greed over people-republican party than to arrange another attempted assassination?!?!?!?!?! WAG THE DOG!!! From the New York Times and PBS
Live Updates: Trump Describes Gunman’s Attack at Washington Hotel
President Trump was rushed from the stage after gunfire broke out in the hotel where the White House correspondents’ dinner was being held on Saturday night. At a White House news conference a couple hours later, Mr. Trump described an assailant carrying multiple weapons charging a security checkpoint before being taken into custody.
The president said a Secret Service officer had been shot but was saved by his bulletproof vest. Mr. Trump said the motive of the attacker — whom he said was believed to be a “lone wolf” — was not immediately clear.
Two law enforcement officials who were not authorized to discuss the matter identified the man in custody as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, Calif. Mr. Trump posted two images on Truth Social showing a man he said was the attacker being detained and told reporters that law enforcement officials were heading to the suspect’s apartment in California.
Mr. Trump also posted a brief surveillance video of a man running past the security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton, where the dinner was being held. In the video, agents drew their guns and appeared to start firing.
Guests were about five minutes into the dinner hour when a commotion occurred toward the back of the ballroom, which Mr. Trump said had not been breached by the attacker. Mr. Trump said he initially thought the noise was a tray falling to the ground, and did not immediately dive for cover. “I was watching to see what was happening,” he said.
According to the White House press pool, a group of reporters who travel with the president, a member of the Secret Service shouted, “Shots fired,” and agents with guns drawn sprinted through the aisles to reach the president.
Hundreds of attendees dropped under their seats at their tables. Security officials with weapons drawn emerged on the dais as the president and the first lady, Melania Trump, were quickly escorted out.
Mr. Trump, who was grazed by a bullet in an assassination attempt during a July 2024 campaign rally in Butler, Pa., and rushed to safety a few months later when a federal agent fired on an armed man at his Florida golf club, departed the hotel around 9:45 p.m.
Here’s what else we’re covering:
Administration attendees: Vice President JD Vance and many members of the president’s cabinet and senior staff were in attendance at the dinner. Among the attendees were Scott Bessent, the Treasury secretary; Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence; Sean Duffy, the transportation secretary; Robert Kennedy Jr., the health secretary; Karoline Leavitt, the press secretary; Steven Cheung, the White House communications director; and Kash Patel, the director of the F.B.I. Mr. Trump later wrote on social media, “The First Lady, plus the Vice President, and all Cabinet members, are in perfect condition.”
Hotel’s history: The Washington Hilton is the same hotel outside of which John Hinckley Jr. tried to assassinate President Ronald Reagan in 1981.
Reporting from inside the Washington Hilton ballroom.
The spring pea and burrata appetizer course had been distributed and the schmoozing hour of Saturday’s White House Correspondents’ Association dinner had begun when a small commotion occurred toward the back of the Washington Hilton ballroom shortly past 8:30 p.m.
It might have been an upturned catering cart, or perhaps a scuffle with protesters. Then security officers began sprinting down the aisles toward the elevated dais, where President Trump, along with Vice President JD Vance and the first lady, Melania Trump, had taken their seats just a few minutes earlier.
There were no announcements or cries of “get down.” Instead, a sense of danger spread across the room like a wave. Hundreds of the country’s top media executives, editors in chief and prominent television anchors, clad in tuxedos and evening gowns, instinctively dropped to the floor, crouching besides chairs and ducking under tables.
A nauseous silence descended, punctuated by small gasps and whimpers. The loudest sounds were those of the security officers racing — and in some cases leaping over chairs and guests — to evacuate senior administration officials from the tightly packed ballroom.
No one had a hint as to what was going on — except that Mr. Trump had been rushed from the stage, which was now occupied by a pair of security officials brandishing large guns. (Later in the evening, officials said that an armed man had charged a security checkpoint and that a Secret Service officer had been shot.)
Erika Kirk, the widow of the conservative activist Charlie Kirk and a guest of Fox News, crawled beneath her table, where she was comforted by the anchor Harris Faulkner and Trey Yingst, the network’s chief foreign correspondent. From beside his chair, Brian Stelter, CNN’s media correspondent, held his iPhone aloft, recording video of whatever scenes were unfolding above.
The health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and his wife, the actress Cheryl Hines, looked pained as guards hustled them out.
Others appeared relatively unfazed. Lloyd Blankfein, the former chief executive of Goldman Sachs, was sitting with CBS News journalists toward the front of the room when the emergency occurred. As the confusion unfolded, Mr. Blankfein turned to his seatmate and asked, “Are you going to finish that salad?”
After less than five minutes, the crowd sensed that any immediate threat had passed. Guests shakily returned to their feet, some wiping away tears.
Journalists are accustomed to chronicling moments of unexpected violence, but few witness them in real time. Even as some in the room rushed toward the exits, dozens of reporters dialed law enforcement sources to figure out what had happened. Network executives and editors ordered up coverage plans. Susan Zirinsky, a veteran producer at CBS News, stood on a chair in a sparkly sequined jacket with a phone pressed to her ear.
Mr. Yingst, of Fox News, called into his control room to deliver on-air updates. Jacqui Heinrich, one of the network’s White House correspondents, had been seated on the dais, and she filed a report from backstage. CNN aired Mr. Stelter’s iPhone footage live. “It wasn’t until I stopped streaming half an hour later that the gravity of the moment really registered,” he said.
Politico’s editor in chief, Jonathan Greenberger, ordered several black-tie-clad reporters to commandeer a nearby banquet room as an ad hoc command center so they could quickly publish the news.
Some gallows humor emerged. “Are they bringing more Champagne?” one attendee said to a friend. But other guests were deeply upset. One woman’s hand shook as she spoke on the phone with a family member and wiped away tears.
Weijia Jiang, a CBS News correspondent who is president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, eventually retook the stage and, with some emotion in her voice, said the evening would continue, prompting loud applause. Eventually an announcement was made that the authorities preferred that the crowd depart.
By 10 p.m., the ballroom was emptying out. Hundreds of plates of half-eaten burrata lay abandoned as guests shuffled to the escalators, toward the chilly outdoor air of an unnerving and unexpected night.
A California man was in custody in connection with the shooting at the White House Correspondents Dinner on Saturday night at the Washington Hilton, President Trump said during a news conference Saturday night.
The man in custody has not been identified publicly by the authorities, but two law enforcement officials familiar with the investigation said that he is Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, Calif. The officials asked to remain anonymous because they had not been authorized to disclose the information.
The suspect, who was apprehended by the Secret Service, was being charged with using a firearm during a crime of violence and with assault of a federal officer, said Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia. She did not name the suspect, but said he would be arraigned on Monday in Federal District Court and that additional charges were expected.
The suspect exchanged gunfire with authorities before being brought under control by the Secret Service. He did not reach the ballroom where President Trump and hundreds of members of the media were gathered for the annual event, said Washington Police Chief Jeffery W. Carroll in a separate news conference Saturday night.
The suspect was carrying knives, a shotgun and a handgun, officials said. He was believed to be staying as a guest in the hotel when he carried out the attack, the authorities said.
A Secret Service agent was shot, Mr. Trump said, but he was protected by a bulletproof vest. He was taken to a hospital for treatment, officials said. The suspect was also taken there to be evaluated, though officials said they did not believe he had been injured.
“The man has been captured,” Mr. Trump said during a briefing shortly after the shooting, adding that investigators were going to his apartment in California. “He’s a very sick person.”
The authorities said they believed the shooter acted alone. They were still investigating whether the person was targeting the president.
A spokeswoman for the California Institute of Technology said a person named Cole Allen had earned an undergraduate degree in 2017, but that the school had no other information to disclose immediately.
A student named Cole Allen graduated with a master’s degree from California State University, Dominguez Hills, in 2025, according to a statement from that school.
“The university cannot confirm if this is the same suspect identified in the April 25 shooting at the White House Correspondents Dinner,” the statement read, adding that the university “unequivocally condemns this act of violence, as well as all forms of violence.”
Alan Blinder and Chelsia Rose Marcius contributed reporting.
Markwayne Mullin, the homeland security secretary, said on social media that all members of the Cabinet, the news media and guests at the White House correspondents’ dinner were safe.
Reporting from WashingtonAt least some of the night’s afterparties are still set to continue. The Time Magazine party at the Residence of the Swiss Ambassador will proceed, according to organizers. Richard Hudock, a spokesman for MS NOW, wrote in a text message that its event at Dupont Underground would go on, too.
“While tonight’s event won’t be what we originally intended, we still think it is important to provide a space for friends and colleagues to be together,” he said.
Chief Carroll said the authorities believe that the suspect was a guest at the hotel and fired a shot but that the investigation was in its very early stages. He did not say whether the Secret Service officer who was injured by gunfire was shot by the suspect. He said that the security plan for the dinner was established by the Secret Service and that it worked.
Jeanine Pirro, the D.C. U.S. attorney, said the suspect was being charged with two counts: using a firearm during a crime of violence, and assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon. Pirro said that the defendant would be arraigned on Monday in federal court and that she expected more charges to follow.
Sean M. Curran, the U.S. Secret Service director, said the president had spoken to the officer who had been shot at.
In a news briefing, the interim D.C. police chief, Jeffery W. Carroll, said that “an individual charged a Secret Service checkpoint” armed with a shotgun, handgun and multiple knives. Carroll said that the suspect had not been struck by gunfire but was transported to a local hospital to be evaluated. A Secret Service officer was shot and was taken to a hospital, where he was “in good spirits,” Carroll said. Carroll said that the security plan for the dinner was established by the Secret Service and that it worked.
White House reporterMelania Trump declines to answer a question or say anything to the press.
White House reporter“It’s a dangerous profession,” Trump said when asked whether he was concerned about threats to his life. But Trump said he did not want to live his life in fear. He joked that he might have not run for president if Marco Rubio, his secretary of state, had told him about the risk of violence.
The man in custody is Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, Calif., according to two law enforcement officials who asked to remain anonymous because they were not authorized to disclose the information.
White House reporterTrump said the shooter did not get anywhere close to him and did not breach the doorway into the main ballroom.
White House reporterTrump said the Secret Service, in his opinion, did a “better job” at the Washington Hilton than they did in Butler, Pa., when Trump was shot at during an outdoor rally.
Shortly after the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner began on Saturday around 8 p.m., a gunman was confronted and tackled by law enforcement officers near a security checkpoint of the Washington Hilton.
A security video posted online by President Trump showed the man running past a security checkpoint, with a swarm of law enforcement officials in pursuit. The man taken into custody was Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, Calif., according to multiple law enforcement officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to disclose the information.
The authorities said the man, who did not make it into the large ballroom where Mr. Trump, top administration officials and hundreds of journalists had gathered for dinner, was carrying a shotgun, handgun and knives. The head of Washington’s police force said that investigators believed he fired at least once, and that officials were reviewing ballistics evidence and shell casings. It appeared that no guests were struck by gunfire.
The suspect was tackled to the ground and handcuffed, and was not shot in the incident, the police said. The gunman had been staying at the hotel as a guest, and after his arrest was taken to a local hospital for evaluation, said the interim chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, Jeffery Carroll.
“At this point it does appear he is a lone actor, a lone gunman,” Chief Carroll said.
The U.S. attorney in Washington, Jeanine Pirro, said that the gunman would be charged with using a firearm during a crime of violence, and with assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon. She said additional charges would likely be filed later.
A Secret Service officer was shot in his protective vest and in good condition, Mr. Trump told reporters at a White House news conference later in the evening. The authorities were still working to establish exactly how that officer had been shot. In a statement, the Secret Service said the incident took place “near the main magnetometer screening area.”
One witness, the CNN news anchor Wolf Blitzer, said he was feet away from the confrontation, and that shots were fired before officers were able to subdue the man. Mr. Blitzer described how a police officer grabbed him, took him to the ground and shielded him with his body. “I just saw a big gun, and I heard the loud bangs going off,” Mr. Blitzer said.
Sam Nunberg, an aide to Mr. Trump when he announced his presidential campaign in 2015, was also nearby when the commotion broke out.
“I saw Wolf Blitzer, and then out of the corner of my eye I saw a guy running,” Mr. Nunberg said, describing the person as dressed in black, and, as best as he could tell, wearing a hood. At first, Mr. Nunberg thought the man was rushing at Mr. Blitzer. He turned again to see Mr. Blitzer on the ground, missing a shoe. Mr. Nunberg rushed into a bathroom for safety, and soon officials ferried Mr. Blitzer in as well.
Secret Service agents soon joined, counting the number of people sheltering there. The dinner guests were then told to leave the hotel, and left the bathroom in less than 15 minutes.
Chelsia Rose Marcius contributed reporting.
- White House reporter
Trump said that officials might be able to say what the suspect’s motive was in the future. “They seem to think he’s a lone wolf, and I feel that too,” Trump said. He said the man was from California.
White House reporterTrump said he was not briefed on any specific threats before the dinner.
White House reporterTrump was asked why assassination attempts keep happening to him. “I studied assassinations,” Trump said. He suggested that “the people that make the biggest impact,” such as Lincoln, are the ones who get targeted.
“I hate to say I’m honored by that, but we’ve done a lot,” Trump said.
White House reporterTrump said he wanted to continue with the dinner because he didn’t want “sick people” to “change the fabric of our life.” He promised it would be rescheduled soon.
- White House reporter
“I was watching to see what was happening,” Trump said of what was going through his head when he heard the noise. He said his wife took cover much faster and seemed to realize quickly what was happening.
White House reporterTrump said that the episode was “totally shocking” and that he heard a noise but thought it was a tray that fell on the ground.
White House reporterTrump gave the first question to Weijia Jiang of CBS News, the president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, which was hosting the dinner. He praised her for doing “a fantastic job.”
White House reporterKash Patel, the F.B.I. director, said agents were conducting witness interviews. As guests were departing the Washington Hilton, agents were asking reporters and other attendees if they saw anything or had any information about the shooting.
White House reporterTrump thanked Melania Trump in his remarks, saying the event was “traumatic” for her. She has been among the members of the Trump family most concerned about security since well before Trump faced assassination attempts.
- White House reporter
Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general, said he expected charges to be filed shortly against the suspect.
- White House reporter
Trump said he wanted to stay and resume the dinner — “I fought like hell” — but was told by security agents that he had to leave.
White House reporterStanding off the side of the press briefing room are Melania Trump; Karoline Leavitt, the press secretary; Marco Rubio, the secretary of state; and Pete Hegseth, the defense secretary.
- White House reporter
Trump called the suspect “a sick person” and said that investigators were going to his apartment.
- White House reporter
Trump said this was “not a particularly secure building.” He then said that the episode underscored why the White House needed beefed-up security and its own ballroom.
- White House reporter
Trump said a Secret Service officer was shot but was saved by a bulletproof vest.
White House reporterTrump said he released the surveillance footage for “transparency” and to show how fast security agents responded to the shooter.
White House reporterTrump is at the podium with his acting attorney general, the homeland security secretary and the F.B.I. director.
- White House reporter
Trump has posted photos on Truth Social of a man lying down on the ground at the Washington Hilton. The man appears to be the suspect. He also posted surveillance footage of a man running past the security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton. In the video, agents drew their guns and appeared to start firing.
A security patrol on the grounds of the White House after President Trump returned following gunfire at the dinner he was attending at the Washington Hilton.
Reporting as part of the White House press poolThe president is back at the White House, and so is the press pool covering him tonight. Trump said he would be holding a news conference shortly. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is at the front doors of the West Wing in his tuxedo right now.
- Reporting as part of the White House press pool
The presidential limousine is moving. President Trump is headed back to the White House at 9:45 p.m.
In a statement, the F.B.I. formally confirmed that the suspect in the shooting was in custody. The statement said that the National Capital Response Squad of the bureau’s Washington Field Office had responded to the Hilton.
Reporting as part of the White House press poolA Secret Service agent in a tuxedo had escorted me to the men’s room moments before the shooting began in the hall just outside. We heard screaming and what sounded like plates shattering. We darted out of the bathroom. As we turned the corner, other agents had their guns drawn and pointed directly at us. They started screaming at us to run across the hall and get low. Behind them, crouched and huddled against a wall, was a small group of people — mostly photographers and caterers. And then the cabinet officials were evacuated one by one. Agents in black tie were darting around the cavernous Hilton with rifles, looking every which way.
Reporting from the Washington HiltonSome attendees who attempted to leave the ballroom were told by law enforcement officials that they could not do so because the perimeter of the hotel had to be secured.
White House reporterThere was a heavy police presence outside the Washington Hilton, but no security screening required to enter the hotel. There were numerous pre-parties hosted on various floors of the hotel, as well as a red carpet.
However, to enter the ballroom where the dinner was being held, all attendees were required to go through magnetometers and have any bags checked. T.S.A. agents were among those involved in the security checks.
- Reporting from the Washington Hilton
“Please take your seat,” a voice announced over a loudspeaker. “Dinner service will resume momentarily.” The room is significantly less full than it was prior to the shots being fired. Dozens and dozens of attendees streamed out to the exits in the immediate aftermath.
Anthony Guglielmi, a Secret Service spokesman, said in a statement on social media that the agency was working with the D.C. police department to investigate “a shooting incident near the main magnetometer screening area.”
Reporting as part of the White House press poolPete Hegseth, looking stricken, was cutting a path through the mobbed hallways of the Hilton just now, descending deeper into the bowels of the hotel even as the White House press pool was being pulled out into the president’s motorcade as he got ready to depart.
- White House reporter
The homeland security secretary, Markwayne Mullin, just walked by a group of reporters and said “yes” when asked if the president was OK.
A Secret Service spokesman said one person was in custody and that the “condition of those involved is not yet known.”
Reporting as part of the White House press poolPresident Trump is leaving the Washington Hilton.
White House reporterMembers of Trump’s cabinet are now being escorted back into the ballroom.
- White House reporter
The homeland security secretary, Markwayne Mullin, just walked by a group of reporters and said “yes” when asked if the president was OK.
A Secret Service spokesman said one person was in custody and that the “condition of those involved is not yet known.”
Reporting as part of the White House press poolPresident Trump is leaving the Washington Hilton.
White House reporterMembers of Trump’s cabinet are now being escorted back into the ballroom.
- Reporting as part of the White House press pool
Apparently, the program will resume. “Dinner service will begin momentarily,” an announcer says in the ballroom.
Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney in Washington, posted a message on social media saying that she was at the Hilton and heard shots fired. She was evacuated from the room. Pirro said that the Secret Service was now in charge of the hotel and that the D.C. mayor, Muriel Bowser, was on her way to the Hilton.
- Reporting as part of the White House press pool
At 9:15 p.m., the White House press pool was taken back into the ballroom. There were still hundreds of people in here, but it had emptied out quite a bit. No sign of the president yet.
Reporting as part of the White House press poolPresident Trump posted 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.”
Justice Department reporterThe gunman was stopped near a security perimeter by law enforcement personnel and taken into custody, according to people familiar with the investigation.
Reporting as part of the White House press poolI’m one of the small number of journalists traveling with the White House press pool tonight. We were in a hall just outside the ballroom when the commotion first rang out.
Several things happened in quick succession. Tuxedoed agents pulled out guns and began running toward the ballroom. White-jacketed caterers screamed and bolted for stairwells. Pandemonium reigned as top cabinet officials were evacuated.
Robert Kennedy Jr. and his wife, Cheryl Hines, came out and were ushered into an elevator. Then Jeanine Pirro emerged. The F.B.I. director, Kash Patel, came tearing across the hallway with two men in tow; his girlfriend was hiding in a room with another man who was holding her hand. Reporters are about to be taken back into the ballroom. The show will go on, apparently.
- White House reporter
This is the same hotel outside of which John Hinckley Jr. tried to assassinate President Ronald Reagan in 1981.
White House reporterPresident Trump still plans to deliver his speech, according to a senior administration official.
- White House reporter
Also among the officials in the room for this dinner was the acting attorney general, Todd Blanche.
White House reporterThe White House press pool, the group of reporters that travels with the president, is reporting that the president is still at the Washington hotel that serves as the setting for the correspondent’s dinner. “The pool is still at the Hilton as of 8:56, which means POTUS hadn’t departed yet,” according to the pool report.
White House reporterIn addition to the president, First Lady and Vice President, many members of the president’s cabinet and senior staff were in attendance at the dinner. Among the attendees: Scott Bessent, the Treasury secretary; Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence; Sean Duffy, the transportation secretary; Karoline Leavitt, the press secretary; Steven Cheung, the White House communications director; and Kash Patel, the director of the F.B.I.
White House reporterNunberg and Blitzer both described sheltering in the men’s bathroom. According to Nunberg, Blitzer lost a shoe as security officials were helping him. Blitzer has described that scene on air as well.
- White House reporter
Sam Nunberg, one of the earliest Trump campaign aides in 2015, described to me the scene that Blitzer just described. Nunberg said he saw someone out of the corner of his eye rushing toward the stairs as he was walking to the men’s room.
Wolf Blitzer, the CNN anchor, was near the men’s room at the top of the stairs above the basement when the shooting took place, he told his network. Blitzer described being a few feet away from the shooter. “I did see the gunman on the ground after he started shooting,” Wolf Blitzer says on CNN.
White House reporterPresident Trump appears to still be at the hotel, per the traveling pool of reporters that accompanied him to the dinner.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “is fine and has left the dinner,” according to his closest aide, Stefanie Spear.
- Reporting from the Washington Hilton
Confusion now reigns in the ballroom although the atmosphere has relaxed significantly. Several attendees immediately said they planned to leave, regardless of what happens with the rest of the event. Dozens of guests were on cell phones calling family members who checked in about the news.
- White House reporter
Weijia Jiang, the president of White House Correspondents’ Association, just took the stage and reiterated that the program would resume. “We will have more details to share,” she said and asked for patience.
White House reporterSean Duffy, the transportation secretary, just returned to the ballroom after he was rushed out.
White House reporterA man just walked on stage and announced, “We will be resuming shortly.” The man did not provide any information about what occurred and left the stage.
White House reporterAs Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy was rushed out of the room, one of his agents yelled “shots fired.”
- White House reporter
Inside the ballroom, people dove to the floor and hid under tables and behind chairs as armed agents rushed into the ballroom.
- White House reporter
Members of Trump’s cabinet were rushed out of the room by their security details as security agents rushed into the ballroom.
Trump unharmed after security incident at White House Correspondents' Dinner
WASHINGTON (AP) — A man armed with guns and knives stormed the lobby outside a high-profile journalists' dinner attended by President Donald Trump and multiple senior U.S. leaders on Saturday night, rushing toward the ballroom before Secret Service agents swarmed him and took him into custody. The president was uninjured and was hustled away.
Guests went diving under tables as the scene unfolded and some reported hearing shots outside the vast subterranean ballroom in the Washington Hilton where the event was being held.
One law enforcement official said a gunman had opened fire. A law enforcement officer was shot in the bullet-resistant vest but is expected to be OK, several sources told The Associated Press.
The shooting suspect — described by Trump as a "sick person" — was identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, two law enforcement officials told the AP.
"When you're impactful, they go after you. When you're not impactful, they leave you alone," Trump, safe and uninjured and still in his tuxedo, said at the White House two hours later. "They seem to think he was a lone wolf."
Speaking from the White House, Trump describes the scene after Saturday's shooting incident at the White House Correspondents' Dinner in the nation's capital.
There was no immediate indication of any other involvement, and Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said she had "no reason" to believe anyone else was involved. Video posted by Trump showed the suspect running past security barricades as Secret Service agents ran toward him.
"There does not appear to be any sort of danger to the public at this time," Bowser said at a separate news conference.
All officials protected by the Secret Service were evacuated. Those in attendance included Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio — and many other leaders of the Trump administration on a night when the nation is at war with Iran.
Trump posts video to social media of apparent suspect running past security outside ballroom at Saturday's correspondents' dinner. Watch the clip in the player above.
It was the third time since 2024 that the president had been under threat by an attacker in his immediate vicinity — including the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, that injured him and killed a local firefighter.
"Today we need levels of security that probably nobody has ever seen before," the president said. But he also said, "We're not going to let anybody take over our society."
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said charges related to Saturday night's attack will be filed shortly, and that the nature of the charges would be obvious considering what had happened at the dinner. Blanche stressed that "the investigation is obviously ongoing and just started."
FBI Director Kash Patel, flanking Trump, said the agency is examining a long gun and shell casings recovered from the scene, as well as interviewing witnesses from the dinner. He urged anyone with information to come forward.
Dinner turns to disorder
Guests were dining on a spring pea and burrata salad when noise began — noise Trump said he initially thought was a tray dropping but some journalists believed were five to eight gunshots.
The Secret Service and other authorities swarmed the room as guests ducked under tables by the hundreds. Audible gasps echoed through the ballroom as guests realized something was happening; hundreds of journalists immediately got on phones to call in information.
"Out of the way, sir!" someone yelled. Others yelled to duck. From one corner, a "God Bless America" chant began as the president was escorted offstage. He fell briefly — he apparently tripped — and was helped up by Secret Service agents. Outside the hotel, members of the National Guard and other authorities flooded the area as helicopters circled overhead.
After an initial attempt to resume, the event was scrapped for the night and will be rescheduled.
"We will do this again," said Weijia Jiang, president of the White House Correspondents' Association. Shortly afterward, staff began breaking down table settings and the presidential lectern.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said he and his wife, Kelly, who both attended the event, were "praying for our country tonight." The House Democratic leader, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, said "The violence and chaos in America must end."
The banquet hall — where hundreds of prominent journalists, celebrities and national leaders were awaiting Trump's remarks — was immediately evacuated. Members of the National Guard took up position inside the building as people were allowed to leave but not immediately reenter. Security outside was also extremely tight.
Republican Rep. MIke Lawler of New York, a guest at the dinner, said he heard a pop and "we didn't know what the hell it was. And then you heard all sorts of things clatter." Lawler said he gets "death threats often" and said "I think we live in a climate where everybody recognizes its a problem, but I don't think people fully appreciate how much of a problem it really is."
The event had initially appeared set to resume after the disorder. Servers refolded napkins and refilled water glasses in preparation for Trump's return. Another worker prepared the president's teleprompter for the remarks he was scheduled to make.
Generally, the Hilton hotel, where the dinner has taken place for years, remains open to regular guests during the correspondents' dinner, and security has typically been focused on the ballroom and rather than the hotel at large, with little screening for people not entering the dinner itself. In past years, that has created openings for disruptions in the lobby and other public spaces, including protests in which security moved to remove guests who unfurled banners or staged demonstrations.
In 1981, President Ronald Reagan was shot by John Hinckley Jr. outside the Hilton — an event that prompted redesigns of the property that increased security and added a special presidential suite near the entrance where chief executives could be taken. Trump was dispatched there briefly after the incident Saturday night.
Event would have highlighted Trump's relationship with press
Trump's attendance at Saturday's annual dinner in Washington for his first time as president is putting his administration's often-contentious relationship with the press on full public display.
Trump arrived to an event where the leaders of a nation at war mingled with celebrities, journalists and even a puppet — Triumph the Insult Comic Dog — in a dinner that typically generates debate about whether the relationship between journalists and their sources should include socializing together and putting aside sometimes adversarial relationships.
Trump was being watched closely at the event held by the organization of reporters who cover him and his administration. Past presidents who have attended have generally spoken about the importance of free speech and the First Amendment, adding in some light roasts about individual journalists.
The Republican president did not attend during his first term or the first year of his second. He came as a guest in 2011, sitting in the audience as President Barack Obama, a Democrat, made some jokes about the New York real estate developer. Trump also attended as a private citizen in 2015.
Trump entered the banquet hall of the Washington Hilton to the strains of "Hail to the Chief" and greeted prominent journalists on the dais, also pausing to laud White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt with a cheerful pointing of his finger.
Past dinners have also featured comedians who poke at presidents. This year, the group opted to hire mentalist Oz Pearlman as the featured entertainment.
Between berating individual reporters, fighting organizations like The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Associated Press in court and restricting press access to the Pentagon, the administration's animus toward journalists has been a fixture of Trump's second term.
A few dozen protesters stood across the hotel in the runup to the event. One was dressed in a prison uniform, wearing a Hegseth mask and red gloves. Another carried a sign saying, "Journalism is dead."
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