President Trump and the first lady were uninjured after a shooting incident Saturday at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C., the U.S. Secret Service said. A suspect is in custody.
Trump, speaking from the White House after the incident, said a Secret Service agent who was shot while wearing a bulletproof vest is “doing great.” The Secret Service said the shooting occurred at a security screening area inside the venue near the ballroom entrance.
Trump posted surveillance footage that appears to show law enforcement responding to an assailant sprinting through a hotel area, and photos of a shirtless man lying face down on a carpet. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said charges would be filed against the suspect soon.
At a law enforcement briefing, Jeffery Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department said the suspect “was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives.” Authorities said they believe the suspect was a guest at the hotel. U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said he is being charged with using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon, with additional charges likely. The suspect is being evaluated at a local hospital and was not struck by gunfire, officials said.
The incident created a chaotic scene. What sounded like gunshots were heard shortly after 8:30 p.m. ET in the Washington Hilton. Hundreds of journalists, politicians and guests in the ballroom — including Trump, Vice President Vance and members of the administration — were rushed out as security cleared the main stage. Video from inside the room captured security quickly moving people off the stage and someone shouting “stay down.”
Trump praised the Secret Service and law enforcement on social media, saying they “did a fantastic job” and acted “quickly and bravely.” He wrote that the shooter had been apprehended and said he recommended that they “LET THE SHOW GO ON,” but added the decision would be guided by law enforcement. He later posted that all cabinet members were safe.
Law enforcement evacuated several prominent officials to rooms inside the hotel, including EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and FBI Director Kash Patel. Several members of Congress were also seen leaving the event on foot.
Weijia Jiang, president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, praised journalists’ response, saying reporters run toward crises and noting the fragility of First Amendment freedoms. “Thank God everybody’s safe and thank you for coming together tonight. We will do this again,” she said.
The attack is the latest in a series of threats and violent incidents involving Trump and members of the press in recent years. During his 2024 re-election effort, Trump was grazed by a bullet at a July rally in Pennsylvania; two attendees were wounded and one person was killed. In September 2024, a Secret Service agent at Trump International in West Palm Beach observed a man with a concealed semi-automatic rifle; the suspect fled and was arrested. During the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot, more than a dozen journalists were attacked in targeted assaults. In 2018, a man mailed pipe bombs to critics of Trump, including CNN offices; he was later sentenced to 20 years in prison.
The Washington Hilton is also the site of past political violence: in 1981, President Reagan was shot outside the hotel. Three others were injured, including Reagan’s press secretary James Brady, who sustained brain damage and was permanently disabled; Brady later became a gun control advocate. The White House Press Briefing Room, where Trump made brief remarks after Saturday’s incident, was later renamed in Brady’s honor.
— Deepa Shivaram contributed to this report.