Gunshots, panic, and Trump’s evacuation: What happened at White House correspondents’ dinner

2 min readUpdated: Apr 26, 2026 09:43 AM IST

US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were on Saturday (Apr 25), escorted out of the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner following a shooting incident near the venue in Washington.

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The event, held at the Washington Hilton, was disrupted by a loud noise believed to be gunfire, prompting an immediate security response.

Here’s what happened at the scene

The POTUS and the First Lady were evacuated as people heard what sounded like multiple gunshots. The Washington Hilton was quickly secured, guests were evacuated, and security forces were deployed across the premises as authorities began assessing the situation.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said, “A shooter has been apprehended,” adding that he and Vice President JD Vance were safe. He indicated that the situation was under control shortly after the incident, even as security agencies continued their response and investigation.

The US Secret Service said one person had been taken into custody and confirmed that the president and first lady were unharmed. It added that the condition of those involved was not yet known and that law enforcement agencies were actively investigating. The area around the hotel was declared a crime scene, with tight security in place and no immediate details released about the suspect or motive.

Suspect armed ‘with multiple weapons’

Trump, while addressing reporters at the White House, said that the suspect was armed with multiple weapons before the Secret Service seized him.

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He said that one of the officers was shot but was protected by a bulletproof vest.

“He was shot from very close distance with a very powerful gun, and the vest did the job,” the US president said.

Trump said “I guess” when asked if he was the intended target of the shooting.

He further said that the suspect was a “lone wolf whack job”.

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“These are crazy people. These are crazy people, and they have to be dealt with,” he said.

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