Trump Evacuated After Gunfire at White House Correspondents’ Dinner

Gunfire erupted Saturday night during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C., forcing President Donald Trump and other senior U.S. officials to evacuate as Secret Service agents confronted an armed suspect near the ballroom entrance.

Authorities said the suspect, identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California, was taken into custody after charging toward a security checkpoint armed with multiple weapons. One Secret Service officer was struck in the bullet-resistant vest during the confrontation and is expected to recover.

The White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooter was armed with a shotgun, handgun, and multiple knives, according to DC police chief Jeffrey Carroll.

The shooter was identified as 31-year-old teacher Cole Allen from Torrance, California.

The suspect emerged from a "makeshift… pic.twitter.com/aUK5m6AwCr

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) April 26, 2026

The incident unfolded during one of Washington’s highest-profile annual political gatherings, attended by journalists, lawmakers, cabinet officials and White House staff. Authorities have not yet confirmed a motive or whether Trump himself was the intended target, but the shooting immediately raised new concerns about security surrounding major political events in the United States.

According to law enforcement officials, the suspect approached the main magnetometer screening area outside the ballroom carrying a shotgun, handgun and multiple knives. Witnesses said panic spread through the venue after multiple shots rang out near the entrance.

Speaking later from the White House briefing room alongside senior administration officials, Trump praised the Secret Service response and confirmed that he had spoken to the wounded officer.

“A man charged a security checkpoint armed with multiple weapons, and he was taken down by some very brave members of Secret Service,” Trump said. “One officer was shot, but saved. The vest did the job.”

Volunteer Helen Mabus told reporters the suspect appeared to assemble a long weapon inside an unsecured room near the entrance before moving toward the ballroom area. She described the space as a bar cart storage room without a visible security presence. According to Mabus, the suspect removed parts from a bag, assembled the weapon and then “moved quickly toward the ballroom entrance” before opening fire.

Trump said the suspect had been captured and described him as “a sick person” and a “wack job.” He added that federal authorities were searching the suspect’s California residence as part of the investigation.

Trump said being president was “a dangerous profession” when asked why assassination attacks seem to keep happening to him. “The people who make the biggest impact, those are the ones they go after,” Trump said.

FBI agents, the Secret Service and Washington Metropolitan Police remained at the scene late Saturday night as investigators began examining the suspect’s background and possible motive.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said charges related to the attack would be filed shortly. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro later said the suspect is expected to face federal charges including using a firearm during a crime of violence and assaulting a federal officer with a dangerous weapon. “This individual was intent on doing as much harm and as much damage as he could,” Pirro said.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, who attended the dinner with his wife, said he was “thankful no innocent people were harmed and everyone is now safe.” We’re grateful as always for the law enforcement and first responders who acted so quickly to bring the situation under control,” Johnson wrote on X.

Trump used the late-night briefing to defend continuing the event despite the shooting and vowed that the White House Correspondents’ Dinner would return soon. “We’ll do it again within the next 30 days, and we’ll make it bigger, and better, and even nicer,” Trump said.

Authorities said the investigation remains ongoing as federal agents continue examining how the suspect reached the heavily secured area surrounding the ballroom entrance before the shooting began.