President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were escorted from the White House Correspondents’ Dinner by security after an incident Saturday night.
Trump says suspect apprehended after stage rush
Trump posted on Truth Social that the shooter was apprehended and that he believes the present must head on, but will follow law enforcement advice.
The incident occurred as Trump was scheduled to speak at his first correspondents’ dinner as a sitting president.
Attendees describe chaotic evacuation
Much of the Washington press corps, including representatives from Politico, the Daily Mail and European and Latin American agencies, remained in the venue after the evacuation.
The doors to the Washington Hilton ballroom stayed closed with approximately 2,500 attendees standing and many on their phones.
Weijia Jiang, president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, told the crowd the program would continue at some point.
Security response mirrors prior incident
The atmosphere resembled the aftermath of the July 2024 assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, though with hundreds more reporters present.
Video showed attendees ducking for cover as the president was evacuated from the ballroom.
Who was removed from the dinner?
President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson and Vice President JD Vance were escorted out by security.
What did Trump say about the suspect?
Trump posted on Truth Social that the suspect was apprehended and that he believes the show must go on, but will go with what law enforcement advises.