US President Donald Trump was safe after being evacuated from a Washington hotel on Saturday after gunshots rang outside the White House Correspondents Association dinner.
A correspondent for the The National heard about five shots. She and other attendees dived for cover under tables. Some guests assembled barriers from chairs close to one of the entrances to the ballroom.
A man armed with a shotgun fired at a Secret Service agent, an FBI official told Reuters. CNN reported that the suspect is a 30-year-old man from Los Angeles.
The agent was hit in an area covered by protective gear and not harmed, the official said.
Weijia Jang, the president of the WHCA, said nobody was hurt and everybody was safe. Mr Trump was due to hold a press conference at the White House later on in the evening. He said he wanted to re-run the dinner within the next 30 days.
CNN reported a shooter had opened fire in a lobby close to the ballroom where the annual media gala is held.
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U. S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is evacuated as a shooter opens fire during the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington, D. C. , U. S. , April 25, 2026. REUTERS / Jonathan Ernst -
U. S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump, next to CBS News senior White House correspondent Weijia Jiang, attend the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington, D. C. , U. S. , April 25, 2026. REUTERS / Jonathan Ernst -
Security personnel stand on alert after hearing shots fired at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner where US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump is attending in Washington, DC, USA, 25 April 2026. Attendees, including US President Donald Trump, were evacuated at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner after shots were fired at the venue. EPA / Yuri Gripas / POOL -
Guests embrace following a shooting incident during the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington, D. C. , U. S. , April 25, 2026 REUTERS / Jonathan Ernst -
A security personnel stands on alert after hearing shots fired at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner where US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump is attending in Washington, DC, USA, 25 April 2026. Attendees, including US President Donald Trump, were evacuated at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner after shots were fired at the venue. EPA / Yuri Gripas / POOL -
Guests take cover after U. S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump were rushed out of the White House Correspondents' Association dinner by Secret Service agents after a loud, unidentified noise, in Washington, D. C. , U. S. April 25, 2026. Picture taken using a mobile phone. REUTERS / Evan Vucci -
A Secret Service agent holds his gun as a shooter opens fire during the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington, D. C. , U. S. , April 25, 2026. REUTERS / Jonathan Ernst -
People embrace following a shooting incident during the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington, D. C. , U. S. , April 25, 2026 REUTERS / Jonathan Ernst -
Law enforcement officers surround Robert F. Kennedy Jr. , US secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), and his wife, actress Cheryl Hines following reports of a shooting during the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) dinner in Washington, DC, US on Saturday, April 25, 2026. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance were evacuated from the White House Correspondents' Association dinner event in Washington Saturday following a security incident at the venue. Photographer: Yuri Gripas / Abaca / Bloomberg -
U. S. President Donald Trump is escorted out as a shooter opens fire during the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington, D. C. , U. S. , April 25, 2026, in this screen capture from video. REUTERS/Bo Erickson THIS IMAGE WAS PROCESSED BY REUTERS TO ENHANCE QUALITY, AN UNPROCESSED VERSION HAS BEEN PROVIDED SEPARATELY. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY -
U. S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and his wife Jennifer Rauchet returns to the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner after a reported shooting incident in Washington, D. C. , U. S. , April 25, 2026 REUTERS / Jonathan Ernst TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY -
Law enforcement officers surround Robert F. Kennedy Jr. , US secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), and his wife, actress Cheryl Hines following reports of a shooting during the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) dinner in Washington, DC, US on Saturday, April 25, 2026. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance were evacuated from the White House Correspondents' Association dinner event in Washington Saturday following a security incident at the venue. Photographer: Yuri Gripas / Abaca / Bloomberg -
A Natoinal Guard officer responds to reports of a shooting during the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) dinner in Washington, DC, US on Saturday, April 25, 2026. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance were evacuated from the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner event in Washington Saturday following a security incident at the venue. Photographer: Yuri Gripas / Abaca / Bloomberg -
A police officer walks through the lobby of the Washington Hilton after shots were heard during the White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington, DC, on April 25, 2026. Shots were fired as US President Donald Trump attended a press dinner in Washington on April 25 night, witnesses and AFP reporters confirmed. Loud bangs were heard and guests at the black-tie White House Correspondents' Dinner scrambled to hide under tables. Tactical teams with guns drawn took position on the stage where Trump had been sitting before he was evacuated. (Photo by Alex WROBLEWSKI / AFP) -
A law enforcement officer responds following reports of a shooting during the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) dinner in Washington, DC, US on Saturday, April 25, 2026. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance were evacuated from the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner event in Washington Saturday following a security incident at the venue. Photographer: Yuri Gripas / Abaca / Bloomberg -
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. President Trump is attending the annual gala of the political press for the first time while in office. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP) -
U. S. President Donald Trump salutes during the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington, D. C. , U. S. , April 25, 2026. REUTERS / Jonathan Ernst TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY -
US President Donald Trump participates in the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner in Washington, DC, USA, 25 April 2026. EPA / Yuri Gripas / POOL -
U. S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump, next to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, attend the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington, D. C. , U. S. , April 25, 2026. REUTERS / Jonathan Ernst
Mr Trump said the shooter had been apprehended.
"I have recommended that we let the show go on, but will entirely be guided by law enforcement," he wrote on Truth Social.
"The First Lady, plus the Vice President, and all Cabinet members, are in perfect condition," he said in a subsequent post.
It was not immediately clear how a gunman had entered the Washington Hilton hotel, as staff and guests must through intense security to get to the venue.
More than 2,500 journalists and guests were gathered in the hotel ballroom when the incident unfolded. Mr Trump was sitting on the main stage along with his wife Melania, Vice President JD Vance and several other guests. Several members of Mr Trump's Cabinet were also present at the dinner.
CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer told the network that a gunman had fired several shots in a hallway one floor up from the ballroom.
"There were a lot of police there, took care of him relatively quickly, and the incident looks like it's over, but it was a very frightening incident," Blitzer said.
Mr Trump was the target of an assassination attempt in July 2024 at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The Washington Hilton was the site of an assassination attempt against then-president Ronald Reagan in 1981. He was outside the building when he was shot.
