WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump was uninjured and other top White House officials were evacuated from an annual dinner of the White House correspondents association on Saturday night after an unspecified threat. There did not immediately appear to be any injuries, and one law enforcement official said a shooter had opened fire.
Authorities said the incident occurred outside the ballroom where Trump and other guests were seated. It was not immediately clear what happened. The event was scrapped and will be rescheduled.
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The FBI said the shooter is in custody and that its Washington field office is responding to the shooting.
Trump posted on Truth Social that he would give a statement at the White House tonight.
Compiling accurate and thorough information on a shooting takes time. Reporters are working to piece together the details from eyewitness accounts, authorities and other sources.
Here's the Latest:
Trump says rescheduled event will be ‘safer’
The president, who had repeatedly said he wanted to continue the dinner until law enforcement said otherwise, insisted it would be rescheduled and would happen. He stressed that the event will be “better” and “we’ll make it safer.”
“I see so many tuxedos and beautiful dresses,” Trump said. “It was a little different evening than we thought. But we’re going to do it again.”
Trump describes scene
As he described the sequence of events, Trump emphasized that the shooter still remained a far distance from the ballroom where thousands of people had gathered for the dinner.
“He hadn’t anywhere close to breached the doors of the ballroom,” the president said.
WHCD extensively studied by Secret Service for decades
The USSS has for years used the annual event to put agents through their paces because the agency has studied the venue has been extensively for decades.
Shooting suspect identified
The shooting suspect was identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, two law enforcement officials told the AP.
Trump describes moment shots rang out
Trump, describing what was going through his mind as the shots rang out, said he initially believed it was a tray being dropped, noting that the noise was “quite far away.” But the first lady, he said, was “very cognizant” that it was a shooting.
“I think she knew immediately what happened,” the president said, recalling that his wife told him, “That’s a bad noise.”
The president said the motivation of the shooter was unclear, but said that “he was a guy who looked pretty evil when he was down.”
Trump: ‘I fought like hell to stay’
The president also reiterated that he had wanted to continue the dinner, saying, “I fought like hell to stay.”
He said in an earlier social media post that law enforcement officials wanted the dinner to end.
Acting AG says investigation is ongoing, charges will be filed shortly
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said charges will be filed shortly and that the nature of the charges would be obvious considering what had happened at the dinner. Blanche stressed that “the investigation is obviously ongoing and just started.”
FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency is examining a long gun and shell casings recovered from the scene, as well as interviewing witnesses from the dinner. He urged anyone with information to come forward.
Trump calls for tougher security measures
As he began the news conference, Trump called for tougher security measures, saying that “today, we need levels of security that probably nobody has ever seen before.”
He cited Saturday’s incident as a reason his ballroom, being constructed at the White House, is needed.
Trump says suspect was armed with multiple weapons
Trump, during a White House press briefing, said the suspect was armed with multiple weapons before being stopped by the Secret Service. One 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.
Security footage posted by Trump shows a man sprinting through the metal detectors and past law enforcement, who turn toward him with guns raised. Officers then swarm toward the man off-screen.
At the White House
Correspondents, as well as Trump, have arrived at the White House briefing room for a news conference following a shooting incident at the annual correspondents' dinner.
Congressional leaders who attended dinner react to shooting
House Speaker Mike Johnson said he and his wife, Kelly, were at the event and grateful for the law enforcement and first responders “who acted so quickly to bring the situation under control.”
“Praying for our country tonight,” said Johnson, R-La., on social media.
“FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT,” said the House GOP on its account on the social platform X.
“House Republicans unite in praying for those who were in harm’s way,” it said.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said he was “thankful for the swift law enforcement action to protect everyone” at the dinner, as he also called for an end to violence.
“The violence and chaos in America must end,” said Jeffries, D-N.Y.
WHCA president addresses attendees, says the event will be rescheduled
Weijia Jiang, the senior White House correspondent at CBS News and president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, addressed the crowded room of journalists after the president had left.
She said the president would be holding a press briefing at the White House soon and that he insisted the dinner be rescheduled within the next 30 days. Jiang also said the president had wanted to continue with the event but had to follow security protocols.
Jiang, who had been sitting on the dais next to Trump when the incident unfolded, also emphasized the public service nature of journalism, saying that “when there is an emergency, we run to the crisis, not away from it.”
“On a night when we are thinking about the freedoms in the First Amendment, we must also think about how fragile they are,” she said. “Thank God everybody is safe and thank you for coming together tonight. We’ll do this again.”
Shooter in custody, FBI says
The FBI said the shooter is in custody and that its Washington field office is responding to the shooting.
DC police say offi
cers are at the scene
The city’s Metropolitan Police Department posted a social message that said its officers are at the scene and coordinating with federal law enforcement.
“We will provide updated information once confirmed,” the message said.
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 dais where Trump sat as attendees ducked or crouched under tables. At one point, someone in the room shouted, “USA!”
Trump says the shooter has been apprehended
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.
Both Trump and Vice President JD Vance were uninjured in the incident.
Most WHCD attendees are closed inside the ballroom and cannot leave
Dinner organizers said there will be an “announcement shortly, we will be resuming shortly” from the stage. Most attendees are closed inside the ballroom and can’t leave.
A block from the White House, party-goers headed to the Renwick Museum were instead gathered at police tape as the streets and sidewalks were blocked off. Police cars tore up and down the block, sirens blaring. A helicopter buzzed overhead.
Washington Hilto
n hotel commonly stays open to public, while security is focused on ballroom
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.
Some in the crowd reported hearing what they believed to be 5 to 8 shots fired
The banquet hall, where hundreds of prominent journalists, celebrities and national leaders were awaiting Trump’s speech, was immediately evacuated. Members of the National Guard took up position inside the building as people were allowed to leave but not reenter. Security outside was also extremely tight.
It was not immediately clear what happened. A law enforcement official confirmed there was a shooter but no further details were immediately available.
US Attorney Jeanine Pirro says Secret Service in charge of building, DC mayor in route
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro posted a short video from the hotel after the incident, saying, “I have been taken out of the ballroom after the sound of the shots fired. The Secret Service is now in charge of this building, this hotel. I just spoke to Mayor Muriel Bowser. She is on her way, and (Police) Chief Jeffery Carroll is on his way. He will be in charge as soon as he gets here.”