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by WILL FOLKS
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President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump were among the dignitaries evacuated from the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner in the Hilton Hotel ballroom in Washington, D.C. on Saturday evening (April 25, 2026) after gunshots were fired outside the event.
Witnesses claimed the shots were fired in a lobby area outside of the ballroom as the dinner was underway inside.
The moment the shooting took place was captured by C-SPAN, which captured the sound of between four and five loud bangs following by U.S. Secret Service agents instructing those at the dinner to “stay down.”
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Loud Bangs and President Trump Evacuated
— CSPAN (@cspan) April 26, 2026
"Stay down!"
Loud bangs are heard and President Trump and others are evacuated from White House Correspondents' Association Dinner.
Watch LIVE –> https://t.co/OQnyC97cOI#WHCD #WHCA #NerdProm pic.twitter.com/b36LtCEhnx
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“I heard what sounded like four shots, and it seemed to come from the hall just outside the ballroom near my table,” Deadline reporter Ted Johnson said.
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Wide shot of ballroom as loud bangs are heard and President Trump is evacuated from the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner. #WHCD #WHCA #NerdProm pic.twitter.com/AUy79J9yQd
— CSPAN (@cspan) April 26, 2026
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A Scripps News employee captured images of law enforcement responders dealing with a “suspected gunman” at the event, noting the “Secret Service tackled the gunman to the ground.”
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Initial reports from CNN and other outlets suggested Secret Service agents “shot and killed” a suspect in the lobby of the hotel in connection with the incident – but subsequent reports indicated only that one suspect was in custody. The suspect was reportedly armed with a rifle and a magazine, per witness accounts provided to The Wall Street Journal.
A statement from the Secret Service indicated its agents – along with investigators from the Metropolitan Police – were “investigating a shooting incident near the main magnetometer screening area at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.”
“The president and the first lady are safe along (with) all protectees,” the statement continued. “One individual is in custody, The condition of those involved is not yet known, and law enforcement is actively assessing the situation.”
Both the president and first lady were unharmed amid the commotion, as were vice president JD Vance, House speaker Mike Johnson and several members of the Trump cabinet who were in attendance at the event (including secretary of state Marco Rubio and secretary of war Pete Hegseth.
Saturday evening’s event marked Trump’s first-ever appearance at the gathering, which he boycotted during his first term in office.
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“Quite an evening in D.C.,” Trump posted on his Truth Social page. “Secret Service and Law Enforcement did a fantastic job. They acted quickly and bravely. The shooter has been apprehended, and I have recommended that we “LET THE SHOW GO ON” but, will entirely be guided by Law Enforcement. They will make a decision shortly. Regardless of that decision, the evening will be much different than planned, and we’ll just, plain, have to do it again.”
Trump was wounded by a would-be assassin on July 13, 2024 during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Two months later, a second would-be assassin targeted Trump as he was playing golf at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida.
A D.C. landmark since its opening in 1965, the Hilton is no stranger to politically motivated violence. On March 30, 1981, would-be assassin John Hinckley Jr. fired six shots at Ronald Reagan – who was just two months into his first term in office.
This is a developing situation… please check back for updates.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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1 comment
Was this staged like the Butler event was?