Trump safe after shooting at WHCD event

A shooting incident near a security checkpoint abruptly halted the White House Correspondents’ Dinner at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, April 25. Loud bangs, described by witnesses as between four and eight shots, were heard in or near areas above the ballroom shortly after the welcoming remarks and during dinner, before President Donald Trump was scheduled to speak.

Guests at the black‑tie event, including journalists, cabinet officials and other dignitaries, scrambled to hide under tables or were ordered to stay down as law enforcement and Secret Service agents moved into the room. Tactical teams with weapons drawn took positions on the stage where Trump had been seated.

Secret Service agents quickly surrounded Trump, then rushed him off the stage and out of the ballroom to a secure location. Vice President JD Vance, First Lady Melania Trump and cabinet members, including Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator Mehmet Oz, were also evacuated.

Authorities and news reports said Trump and other protectees were uninjured. The Secret Service stated that the president, first lady and all protectees were safe and confirmed that one individual was in custody following a shooting incident near the main security screening perimeter.

Police swarmed the Washington Hilton and helicopters hovered overhead as the building and surrounding streets were locked down. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said in a video from the hotel that the Secret Service had taken control of the building and that Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser and Police Chief Jeffery Carroll were en route to the scene.

FBI Director Kash Patel later said the Secret Service agents responded immediately, subdued and took down the suspect and safeguarded thousands at the hotel. He said the FBI deployed its evidence response unit, which is examining ballistics, including a long gun and shell casings recovered at the scene, in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security and the Metropolitan Police Department.

Initially, organizers told guests that the dinner would resume, and some attendees were held inside the ballroom while police established a perimeter. The White House Correspondents’ Association later canceled and said the event would be rescheduled for a later date.

Trump praised the Secret Service and law enforcement on Truth Social, saying they acted quickly and bravely and that the shooter had been apprehended. He wrote that law enforcement had requested he leave the premises under established protocols and announced plans for a press conference at the White House briefing room later that night.

Fox News journalist Karol Markowicz wrote on X that the suspect was identified as 31‑year‑old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California, and said he was taken into custody. The report noted that there has been no official confirmation of the suspect’s identity and that this claim could not be independently verified.

The incident prompted strong reactions across social media. Many users expressed relief that Trump and other attendees were safe and praised the Secret Service for acting quickly. Others questioned aspects of the event, with some posts characterizing the shooting as fake or staged, though no evidence for those claims was presented in official statements cited in the reports.