President Donald Trump was unharmed and other top US leaders were evacuated from an annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday night after an unspecified threat. No one immediately appeared injured, and a law enforcement official said an assailant had opened fire.
Authorities said the incident happened outside the ballroom where Trump and other guests were seated.
It was not immediately clear what happened. The event was canceled and will be rescheduled.
“We will do this again,” said Weijia Jiang, president of the White House Correspondents’ Association.
Soon after, the staff began demolishing the desk facilities and the presidential lectern.
The Secret Service and other authorities packed the banquet hall at the Washington Hilton as guests dined on spring peas and burrata salad tucked under tables of hundreds. Audible gunshots echoed through the ballroom as the guests realized something was up. Hundreds of journalists picked up phones to get information.
“By the way, sir!” someone shouted. The others shouted at the duck. From one corner, a chant of “God Bless America” began as Trump was escorted off the stage. He briefly fell — he apparently tripped — and was helped by Secret Service agents.
A law enforcement official confirmed there had been a shooting, but no further details were immediately available. All Secret Service-protected officials were evacuated.
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A law enforcement officer was shot in his bulletproof vest but is expected to be OK, a law enforcement officer told The Associated Press.
Attendees included Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio — and many other Trump administration leaders.
In general, the Hilton Hotel, where the dinner has been held for years, remains open to regular guests during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, and security has typically focused on the ballroom and the hotel in general, with little screening for people not entering the dinner.
In past years, this has created openings for disruptions in lobbies and other public spaces, including protests in which security moved to remove guests who unfurled placards or staged demonstrations.
-AP reporters Alanna Durkin Richer, Michael Balsamo, Zeke Miller and Anna Johnson contributed to this report.
&copies 2026 The Canadian Press
