WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump was rushed off the stage and evacuated from the White House Correspondents’ Dinner Saturday night after a gunman opened fire near the main security screening area of the Washington Hilton, sending hundreds of guests diving beneath tables and abruptly ending what had been the president’s first appearance at the annual event. Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and multiple Cabinet secretaries were all confirmed safe, according to the U.S. Secret Service and the president himself.
The shooting occurred just after 8:30 p.m. ET, with law enforcement sources reporting that between five and eight shots were fired. The suspect charged a security checkpoint armed with multiple weapons before being apprehended in the hotel lobby, a law enforcement source confirmed. The gunman was stopped before reaching the magnetometers, according to a second source briefed by the FBI on the incident.
One Secret Service agent was struck by a round but was wearing a bulletproof vest and is expected to recover. The suspect, identified by two law enforcement officials as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, was taken into custody and transported to an area hospital with injuries related to being subdued, three law enforcement officials confirmed.
White House Correspondents’ Dinner Erupts in Gunfire
The Secret Service and other authorities swarmed the banquet hall as guests ducked under tables by the hundreds. Video captured on C-SPAN’s live feed showed heavily armed guards jumping onto the stage, while the president, the first lady, the vice president, and White House Correspondents’ Association president Weijia Jiang were escorted out of the ballroom.
CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer, who was outside the main ballroom at the time, reported being only a few feet from the gunman when the shots rang out. Multiple journalists attending the dinner described hearing three to four successive shots that appeared to originate from the hallway just outside the ballroom, near the area where guests were screened upon entry. Several correspondents present drew immediate comparisons to the assassination attempt on Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania in July 2024, which marked the first of two attempts on the president’s life during that election cycle.
Also evacuated were Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, FBI Director Kash Patel, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, among other senior administration officials. Several members of Congress were seen leaving the event on foot, including Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island and Rep. Jared Moskowitz of Florida.
U.S. Secret Service Chief of Communications Anthony Guglielmi confirmed in a formal statement posted on X that the agency, in coordination with the Metropolitan Police Department, was investigating a shooting incident near the main magnetometer screening area. Guglielmi confirmed all protectees were safe and that one individual was in custody.
Trump Pledges to Reschedule; Press Conference Announced
At a subsequent White House briefing room press conference, Trump confirmed the suspect had charged a security checkpoint armed with multiple weapons and described him as a lone wolf. FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed his agency rapidly deployed to the scene and took over the evidence response unit examining all ballistics. Trump said the events of the evening were rather traumatic for the first lady and praised law enforcement for their swift response.
In an earlier post on Truth Social, Trump praised the Secret Service and law enforcement for acting quickly and bravely, confirmed the shooter had been apprehended, and said he had recommended the event continue while deferring entirely to law enforcement on that decision. In a subsequent post, Trump confirmed that law enforcement had requested all attendees leave the premises and that he was returning to the White House. He confirmed the first lady, vice president, and all Cabinet members were safe and that the dinner would be rescheduled within 30 days.
Saturday’s dinner was the first White House Correspondents’ Association event Trump had attended as a sitting president, having declined to attend during his first term. Security at the venue has historically been focused on the ballroom itself, with the broader hotel remaining accessible to regular guests, an arrangement that has in past years created openings for disruptions in public areas including the lobby. Investigators were working Saturday night to determine how Allen reached the area immediately outside the ballroom’s security perimeter carrying multiple weapons.
This story has been updated to reflect confirmed details from President Trump’s White House press conference and the identification of the suspect by law enforcement officials. The suspect’s motive remains under investigation. No findings of guilt have been established. Due-process protections apply.
