Shooting Reported at White House Correspondents' Dinner

President Trump was reported uninjured and other top leaders of the United States were evacuated from an annual dinner of White House correspondents on Saturday night after an unspecified threat, the AP reports. One law-enforcement official said a shooter opened fire. An officer in a bullet-resistant vest was reportedly shot, but is expected to be OK. No other injuries were immediately reported. The Secret Service and other authorities swarmed the banquet hall at the Washington Hilton as guests ducked under tables by the hundreds. "Out of the way, sir!" someone yelled. Others yelled to duck.

The event was getting underway when armed security rushed in. Attendees were eating a spring pea and burrata salad, and waiters had begun preparing to bring out the next course when a security detail appeared on the ballroom floor and yelled for everyone to get down. Journalists in gowns and tuxedos ducked near tables as wine splattered onto white tablecloths and glasses clinked in the hurry to seek safety. Armed security burst through the doors of the ballroom and raced toward the dias where Trump sat as attendees ducked or crouched under tables. At one point, someone in the room shouted, "USA!"

Trump said that a "shooter has been apprehended" in a post to Truth Social about 30 minutes following a security incident at the White House correspondents' dinner. Some in the crowd reported hearing what they believed to be 5 to 8 shots fired. Both Trump and Vice President JD Vance were uninjured in the incident. Dinner organizers said there will be an "announcement shortly" from the stage. It was later reported that the dinner would be rescheduled, but that everyone was safe.

Generally, the Hilton hotel, where the dinner has taken place for years, remains open to regular guests during the White House Correspondents Dinner. It has typically been focused on the ballroom—rather than the hotel at large—with little screening for people not entering the dinner itself. In past years, that has created openings for disruptions in the lobby and other public spaces, including protests in which security moved to remove guests who unfurled banners or staged demonstrations.