Shots fired: Trump, cabinet, Erika Kirk rushed out of White House Correspondents’ dinner
Updated at 9:40 p.m. ET on April 25, 2026: President Donald Trump announced that authorities advised him that all attendees at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C., must leave the premises after the annual event was abruptly halted by a shooter who targeted the venue.
The president said he will hold a press briefing at the White House this evening, and the WHCA dinner will reconvene in 30 days.
In a post on Truth Social, the president wrote: "Law Enforcement has requested that we leave the premises, consistent with protocol, which we will do, immediately. I will be giving a press conference in 30 minutes from the White House Press Briefing Room. The First Lady, plus the Vice President, and all Cabinet members, are in perfect condition. We will be speaking to you in a half an hour. I have spoken with all the representatives in charge of the event, and we will be rescheduling within 30 days. President DONALD J. TRUMP."
Following the president's post on Truth Social, White House Correspondents' Association President Weijia Jiang stepped up to the podium at the WHCA gathering to confirm that law enforcement requested that everyone exit the premises "consistent with protocol" and said the president "wanted to emphasize that nobody was hurt."
"He and the first lady, the cabinet, everybody's safe. The president will be having a press briefing at the White House in 30 minutes. That is not a joke. And he insists that we will reschedule this event in the next 30 days," she added. "He wanted to continue despite the news that we have to follow security protocol.
"I said earlier tonight that journalism is a public service because when there is an emergency, we run to the crisis, not away from it. And on a night when we are thinking about the freedoms in the First Amendment, we must also think about how fragile they are."
Original report:
The White House Correspondents' Association dinner was abruptly halted Saturday night after the sound of gunfire echoed inside the venue, spurring the Secret Service to escort President Donald Trump, the vice president and members of the cabinet to safety, followed by several members of the press.
Chaos ensued minutes after White House Correspondents' Association President Weijia Jiang sat down next to the president and first lady Melania Trump at the dais after giving the introductory speech at the annual WHCA dinner held at the historic Washington Hilton hotel.
Jiang, a senior White House correspondent for CBS News, was quickly escorted out of the room along with the president, first lady and Vice President JD Vance by Secret Service agents who reporters described as jumping on tables to lead government officials to safety.
C-SPAN's "Washington Journal" host John McArdle reported hearing a succession of four loud noises, "boom, boom, boom, boom," while other reporters at the dinner said they heard the sound of plates crashing. CNN's Jake Tapper said he heard nothing inside the venue, while his colleague, Wolf Blitzer, who had stepped out to go to the bathroom, reported being pushed to the ground by a police officer who was protecting him from gunfire.
???? JUST IN: SHOOTER IS DOWN — CNN
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) April 26, 2026
Terrifying moment as President Trump is shuffled away by Secret Service who LEAPED into action after reports of shots fired at the WHCA dinner
BLESS THE PRESIDENT, BLESS THE SECRET SERVICE ????????
This is insane. pic.twitter.com/8g43jQUAZG
CNN initially reported that Kaitlan Collins, the cable news outlet's chief White House correspondent, had "confirmed" the shooter was dead. Other news outlets, however, reported that the suspect was apprehended and in custody.
Bret Baier, Fox News’ chief political anchor and host of “Special Report,” called in to Fox News to report from the scene. “I was really concerned. I mean, I heard shots and everybody dove down. I was sitting next to the Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. His staff, the Secret Service, jumped on him and pushed him down."
“All the Fox security told everybody to get under the table, and you can imagine 2,000 people in that room really jam packed in,” he added. “There was mass chaos, but within seconds, the entire place was filled with Secret Service, guns drawn, and there were a lot of shaken-up people still.”
Baier continued: “There is a lot of police presence right outside the building. As we were going out, I saw FBI Director Kash Patel and Erica Kirk was being consoled by some of her folks. Obviously, she was very shaken up and she was right next to us and was under the table.
"And I didn't get a chance to talk to Kash Patel, but there was still a sweeping going on inside the building. So while the president's saying that he's coming back, I think that there is a lot going on, still going room to room inside the convention hall.”
Blitzer told his CNN colleagues that as he walked back to the dinner after stepping away to go to the men's room, "all of a sudden I started hearing gunshots in the hall right near me."
"And the next thing I knew, a police officer threw me to the ground and was on top of me, and I was listening and watching what was going on," he said. "And apparently, they got the gunman, [found] a major weapon there, but it was so worrisome.
"The noise was so loud in a small area, and all of a sudden, I'm seeing gunshots," Blitzer continued. "And then they grabbed me, the police officers, and they take me back into the men's room where it was safe, and there were about 15 other men who are stuck in there and they won't let them out."
According to Blitzer, the shooting occurred near the main magnetometer screening area at the hotel.
Some attendees quickly exited the venue, while others stayed and settled back into their seats after being ordered to duck under tables for protection. After a long pause amid the evening's interrupted schedule, Jiang returned to the presidential podium to announce that the event would continue.
“I know everyone's going to want as many details as possible, and right now we don't have that, but I can tell you, the program is going to resume momentarily, and we will have more details to share. But for now, please just be patient as we figure out just how much time it will be, but it shouldn't be that much.”
At 9:26 p.m. ET, Trump wrote on Truth Social: "Quite an evening in D.C. 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. President DONALD J. TRUMP."
The Washington Hilton is the same hotel where former President Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981.
This is a developing story, and some details might change as authorities release additional information.
