Gunfire near White House dinner forces Trump, officials to evacuate

Federal authorities said the suspect in the shooting near the White House Correspondents’ Dinner will face three charges and is set to be arraigned Monday, after gunfire forced President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance and other senior officials out of the Washington Hilton ballroom in Washington, D.C.

The episode unfolded Saturday night, April 25, 2026, near a Secret Service security checkpoint tied to the annual dinner, one of Washington’s most visible political-media gatherings. Guests ducked under tables as law enforcement moved quickly to evacuate the ballroom and cancel the event. A Secret Service officer was struck in a bullet-resistant vest and was not seriously hurt. The suspect was taken to a hospital for evaluation before being placed in custody.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said the suspect will be charged with assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon and using a firearm during a crime of violence, and that more charges could still follow as investigators examine the case. Pirro said additional charges, including possible terrorism charges, had not been ruled out. Authorities have not yet publicly identified a motive.

Trump later said he initially thought the noise sounded like a tray falling. He said the suspect had charged a checkpoint armed with multiple weapons and described the attacker as a “lone wolf,” while also praising the speed of the response by law enforcement. Trump said the dinner would be rescheduled within the next 30 days.

Weijia Jiang, president of the White House Correspondents’ Association and one of the people seated next to Trump, said the shooting underscored how fragile public safety can be. She said that “nobody should have to feel scared to be anywhere in a public place.”

The disruption landed hard for the White House Correspondents’ Association, which was created by journalists on Feb. 25, 1914, and uses its annual dinner as a major source of revenue to support its work, including scholarships, awards and First Amendment programming. The association had planned to recognize 2026 scholarship winners at the dinner and an accompanying luncheon.

Trump also pointed back to the July 13, 2024 assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, and urged Americans to reject political violence. In a city where security is routine and symbolism is constant, the gunfire turned a gala built around press freedom into a reminder of how quickly a public event can become a crime scene.