Shots Fired at Washington Correspondents’ Dinner; Trump and First Lady Rushed Out With No Injuries Reported

WASHINGTON — One person is in custody after a shooting Saturday night at the annual dinner of White House correspondents, a D.C. black-tie tradition where the president, first lady, Cabinet members, elected lawmakers, and thousands of reporters and their guests celebrate press freedom. President Trump, who was whisked off the stage by Secret Service, was in attendance for the first time as president. He said the alleged shooter, whom sources identified to the Associated Press as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen from Torrance, California, was taken down by Secret Service while attempting to flee. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said in a separate briefing that the suspect was taken to the hospital for evaluation but was physically unharmed.“He’s a sick person. A very sick person,” the president told a packed room of reporters from the White House less than two hours after the incident. “I think very shortly you’re going to know a lot about him.”The Secret Service and other authorities swarmed the banquet hall at the Washington Hilton — the same building outside which President Reagan was shot just over 45 years ago — as guests ducked under tables by the hundreds. “Out of the way, sir!” someone yelled. Others yelled to duck.Those in attendance with the president included First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, and FBI Director Kash Patel, among others. Joining the president at the White House after the evacuation, Mr. Blanche said federal law enforcement is working on warrants and the suspect will face multiple charges.“Everyone in this room should rest assured that the Metropolitan Police Department, the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, the Secret Service, everyone is on the scene doing their job,” he said. “I promise you. Justice will be served.” Mr. Patel said a long gun and shell casings recovered from the scene were already with a ballistics team for investigation. He said authorities believe the shooter is a lone wolf and urged anyone with information about him to call 1-800-Call-FBI.Some in the crowd reported hearing what they believed to be five to eight shots fired while several others, including the president, likened the live fire to the sound of a dinner tray crashing. The tables of the banquet hall — where hundreds of prominent journalists, celebrities and national leaders were awaiting Trump’s speech — became cover for the crowd as law enforcement officers quickly surrounded the president. Law enforcement exchanged gunfire with the suspect, who was carrying a shotgun, a handgun, and multiple knives, according to the D.C. Metro Police’s interim chief, Jeff Carroll. The suspect was not struck; however, one Secret Service officer was shot at close distance, the president said. He was unharmed thanks to his bulletproof vest.“The vest did the job. I just spoke to the officer and he’s doing great, in great shape. Has very high spirits, and told him we love him and respect him,” Mr. Trump said.Though the ability of the shooter to get within such close proximity to the event is being questioned as a possible security failing, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said the security checkpoint did the job. Officials engaged the suspect immediately. The suspect, who had booked a room at the hotel, will be arraigned on Monday in a federal courtroom.Guests take cover as President Trump was to speak to attendees of the annual White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner April 25, 2026, at Washington, D.C. (Photo by Nathan Howard/Getty Images)Shortly after he was whisked off-stage and before the event was cancelled for the night, Mr. Trump praised law enforcement and the Secret Service for doing “a fantastic job” and suggested that organizers “LET THE SHOW GO ON.” However, once doors opened to let guests out of the subterranean ballroom, members of the National Guard took up position to prevent thousands of people — those both below and above ground using the hotel’s other facilities — from re-entering. Security outside was also extremely tight as the president’s detail removed him and Mrs. Trump from the building. Later, Mr. Trump compared the incident to two other attempts on his life. He called his profession a dangerous job but said he was undeterred.“You can’t be so concerned that you can’t function,” he said. “I take it as it is.”The suspected shooter, identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California, was taken down by Secret Service near the security checkpoint set up inside the Washington Hilton. (Photo released by President Trump via Truth Social)Mr. Trump arrived Saturday night and mingled with celebrities, journalists, and even a puppet — Triumph the Insult Comic Dog — in a dinner that typically generates debate about whether the relationship between journalists and their sources should include socializing together and setting aside sometimes adversarial relationships. The New York Times, for example, stopped attending the dinner more than a decade ago for that reason.Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and his wife, actress Cheryl Hines, are escorted by federal agents after a shooting incident at the annual White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner April 25, 2026, at Washington, D.C. (Photo by Nathan Howard/Getty Images)Though he did not attend during his first term or the first year of his second, Mr. Trump came as a guest in 2011, sitting in the audience as President Obama, a Democrat, made some jokes about the New York real estate developer. Mr. Trump also attended as a private citizen in 2015.Mr. Trump was being watched closely at the dinner held by the organization of reporters who cover him and his administration. Past presidents who have attended have generally spoken about the importance of free speech and the First Amendment, adding in some light roasts about individual journalists. A group of 430 journalists had signed a letter urging their coworkers to protest the president during the event, with several planning to wear pocket handkerchiefs or lapel pins with the words of the First Amendment on it. Others responded that it is not their job to be activists, but to interact with the people they cover.Past dinners have featured comedians who poke at presidents. This year, the group opted to hire mentalist Oz Pearlman as the featured entertainment. The president entered the banquet hall to the strains of “Hail to the Chief” and greeted prominent journalists on the dais, also pausing to laud White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt with a cheerful pointing of his finger.In his briefing following the evacuation, the president took on a conciliatory tone with members of the media and promised that the dinner would be rescheduled within the next 30 days. Mr. Trump said that he had some good jokes of his own that he didn’t get to tell, but he made hold back on the zingers at the next dinner. He added that America needs more opportunities for individuals of all political stripes to put aside their differences and come together. “In light of this evening’s events, I ask that all Americans recommit with all their hearts to resolving our differences,” he said.While social media erupted with partisan rancor almost immediately, lawmakers from both parties thanked law enforcement for their fast action and urged people to not use violence to express their frustration.“The violence and chaos in America must end,” the House Democratic leader, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, said in a statement on X.“Praying for our country tonight,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, who attended the event with his wife, Kelly. “We’re thankful no innocent people were harmed and everyone is now safe.” The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Shots Fired at Washington Correspondents’ Dinner; Trump and First Lady Rushed Out With No Injuries Reported

Shots Fired at Washington Correspondents’ Dinner; Trump and First Lady Rushed Out With No Injuries Reported

More from the New York Sun

Conflicted Loyalties to the British Crown

Maine Students Pick Jackson Over Collins In Prescient Statewide Mock Election

King Charles’ Caribbean Tour Overshowed by Calls for Reparations

Russian Woman Faces Federal Hate Crime Charges for Stabbing New York Jewish Men With a Needle

Democratic Dirty Tricks Are Already Backfiring. Where Do I Send the Thank You Note?

Who Speaks for China?

Israel’s Election: The Parallel Reality

’60 Minutes’ Ratings Hit New Low, Drops Below ‘America’s Funniest Home Videos’ With Key Demographic

More from the New York Sun

Conflicted Loyalties to the British Crown

Maine Students Pick Jackson Over Collins In Prescient Statewide Mock Election

King Charles’ Caribbean Tour Overshowed by Calls for Reparations

Russian Woman Faces Federal Hate Crime Charges for Stabbing New York Jewish Men With a Needle

Democratic Dirty Tricks Are Already Backfiring. Where Do I Send the Thank You Note?

Who Speaks for China?

Israel’s Election: The Parallel Reality

’60 Minutes’ Ratings Hit New Low, Drops Below ‘America’s Funniest Home Videos’ With Key Demographic