Secret Service officers rushed U.S. President Donald Trump out of the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner at Washington Hilton on Saturday night after a gunfire.
The shooting erupted just after 8:30pm, about 20 minutes after Trump and Melania made their grand entrance into the hotel’s ballroom.
Trump, first lady Melania, Vice President James Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson attended the gala.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and many leaders of the Trump administration and top lawmakers also attended the dinner before they were evacuated from the ballroom by Secret Service agents.
The president is safe and there were no injuries reported.
The gunman was shot and has been detained, according to law enforcement sources.
He was intercepted at the metal detectors outside the Washington Hilton ballroom, where Trump and countless dignitaries were set to toast the Washington press corps.
Trump, while addressing reporters at the White House after he and other top leaders were evacuated said the suspect was armed with multiple weapons before he stopped by Secret Service.
He said an officer was shot but he was protected by a bulletproof vest.
“He was shot from very close distance with a very powerful gun, and the vest did the job,” Trump said.
The president had also posted to his Truth Social that the dinner will be rescheduled within 30 days,
“Law Enforcement has requested that we leave the premises, consistent with protocol, which we will do, immediately,” Trump posted after the shooting.
“The First Lady, plus the Vice President and all Cabinet members, are in perfect condition.
“We will be speaking to you in a half an hour. I have spoken with all the representatives in charge of the event, and we will be rescheduling within 30 days.”
In an earlier post, Trump praised law enforcement and Secret Service for doing a “fantastic job.”
Organizers of the star-studded gala originally said that they wanted to continue as planned but then announced that the event was cancelled by 9:45pm.
It is the first time Trump has attended the gala since 2011, marking his first appearance as president.
Before the event, pro-Palestine protesters lined the street outside the Washington Hilton, waving flags and holding signs that read “Media lies, Gaza dies” and “no war for Israel.”
NAN
