Latest update May 25th, 2026 12:35 AM
Trump safe after shots fired at White House Correspondents’ Dinner
…shooter in custody
Aljazeera – United States President Donald Trump was evacuated from the White House correspondents’ dinner in Washington, DC, after shots were fired outside the event.
Trump was rushed out of the Washington Hilton hotel on Saturday evening after gunshots were heard outside the ballroom where the president and the first lady had been seated before the start of the annual media gala.
President Trump is escorted out of the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner. REUTERS/Bo Erickson
Trump, the First Lady and his Cabinet were unharmed.
In a news conference after the incident, Trump said a man had charged a security checkpoint armed with multiple weapons and was “taken down” by the US Secret Service.
Trump condemned the suspect as a “thug” who had attacked the US Constitution.
Trump said one Secret Service officer was shot, but his life had been saved by his bulletproof vest.
“Today we need levels of security probably nobody has ever seen before,” Trump said.
The US Secret Service said the shooting had occurred at a “screening area” and that one individual was in custody.
“The condition of those involved is not yet known, and law enforcement is actively assessing the situation,” the agency said.
Footage from the scene showed Trump and attendees taking cover behind their table after shots rang out, as people yelled “Get down!” and “Stay down!”
Agents draw their guns after loud bangs were heard during the White House correspondents’ dinner at the Washington Hilton in Washington, DC, on April 25, 2026 [Mandel Ngan/AFP]
Al Jazeera producer Chris Sheridan said he heard what he believed to be five gunshots outside the ballroom.
“We could smell the powder. We immediately dove to the ground. It was directly behind me,” Sheridan said.
“I couldn’t tell how many feet away, but it was definitely behind the doors to the entrance to the ballroom.”
Sheridan said there was a very heavy police presence around the hotel.
“They are trying to clear the area at the moment,” he said.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo expressed her relief that Trump and the First Lady were unharmed.
“We send our respect,” she said in a post on X. “Violence should never be the way.”
Trump has been targeted in multiple assassination attempts, including a near-miss shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania in 2024.
Thomas Crooks fired eight shots at Trump during a campaign rally event, killing one bystander and lightly wounding the then-candidate’s right ear, before being shot dead by the US Secret Service.
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