The White House Correspondents’ Association dinner was canceled Saturday night after gunshots were fired in the Washington Hilton ballroom and President Trump and first lady Melania Trump were evacuated by the Secret Service.
Trump and other government officials were evacuated to a safe location and the gunman was taken into custody. President Trump addressed the unusual act of violence in a statement, saying, “The D.C. Secret Service and law enforcement did a great job. They acted quickly and bravely. The shooter was arrested, and while I encouraged him to ‘let the show go on,’ there was a total They will make a decision shortly, and regardless of that decision, it’s going to be a very different night than planned. And, frankly, we’re going to have to do it again.” said.
CNN, CNBC and others reported that gunshots were heard, and operations began to rescue Trump and other administration officials who were attending the event.
CNN reporter Wolf Blitzer reported on air that he heard gunshots and was thrown to the ground by police for safety. Blitzer said he saw a man with a gun “fire indiscriminately” and saw him being tackled by police. He was escorted to the bathroom by police for safety. Blitzer said he heard at least half a dozen loud “thuds.” Blitzer said he left the ballroom to go to the bathroom. As he was walking back to his table, he suddenly heard “a lot of gunshots and the sound of someone firing. The next thing I saw was a large group of police officers and other law enforcement grabbing (the gunman) and forcing him to the ground.”
Shortly after 9 p.m. ET, WHCA President Jiang Weijia told the audience that the program would continue despite the disruption caused by the incident and President Trump’s swift resignation. However, by 9:20pm ET, security was seen clearing the banquet hall, indicating that the event had been officially canceled.
The situation prompted journalists from various media outlets to begin on-the-spot reporting using social media platforms to deliver urgent reports.
ABC News’ Rachel Scott called the situation “horrifying” and described the chaos in which attendees suddenly looked up and saw Secret Service agents swarming the president. And it all happened “while (WHCA) members here in the ballroom ducked for cover,” Scott reported on Instagram.
CSPAN reported that just as guests were finishing the salad course of their dinner, the event’s podium was suddenly removed, forcing many of the event’s thousands of attendees to duck under the tables amid concerns about a major security breach. Witnesses told CSPAN they heard screams coming from the back of the banquet hall before the Secret Service stormed the venue. CSPAN reported that at around 8:40 p.m. ET, someone could hear yells of “America, America” coming from the back of the ballroom.
The scene outside the Washington Hilton early in the evening was tense, with protesters shouting about U.S. actions in Iran as they entered the hotel. The streets of Washington DC surrounding the hotel were heavily guarded, and tickets were required to pass through several checkpoints located within the hotel and facilities.
After the shooting, there was initial confusion about what happened until journalists contacted news outlets to report details of what happened. News outlets including CNN, CNBC and CSPAN broke the news about what happened in the ballroom in phone interviews with stunned journalists who were in attendance.
The annual fundraising event was attended by most of journalism’s top players. Versant CEO Mark Lazarus, ABC News President Armin Karamedovic, “Good Morning America” Executive Producer Simone Swink and Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott were among the celebrities in attendance at Saturday’s pre-party.
Trump administration officials who attended the event included Vice President J.D. Vance, Deputy Secretary of State for Policy Stephen Miller, Presidential Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and Turning Point USA CEO Erica Kirk.
The Trump administration’s performance at this event stands in contrast to its behavior the last time it was in the White House. The 2026 dinner will be the first time President Trump will attend an event that traditionally features comedians lambasting the president and the Washington establishment. This time, WHCA has booked The Mentalist’s Oz Perlman as a celebrity performer. Perlman was seen prominently making the rounds with top journalists on live coverage of the event before the chaos.
Trump has had a controversial relationship with mainstream journalists since his political ambitions began in 2015. Since returning to the White House, the Trump administration has aggressively challenged journalistic conventions, and the president has not slowed down his attacks on the integrity and competency of mainstream journalism. Trump has also filed lawsuits with ABC News, CBS News, the Wall Street Journal and others.
Further in the future
