President Trump evacuated from White House Correspondents Dinner amid shooting

Corey Schmidt, The Sacramento Bee on Apr 25, 2026

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A shooting at the annual White House Correspondents Dinner led to the evacuation of the president and one person in police custody. According to Secret Service, the incident happened near a security check point.

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump were escorted from the event, according to USA TODAY. As attendees ducked for cover, many shielded themselves by crouching beside tables.

“The president and the first lady are safe along with all protectees,” said Secret Service Chief of Communications Anthony Guglielmi in a statement. “One individual is in custody.”

The White House Correspondents Dinner is the main fundraiser for the White House Correspondents Association, according to its website.

U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., said he was among those in attendance.

“I was there at the event tonight,” Issa said in a post. “And I’ll be there again or anywhere else to support this president.”

CNN reporter Wolf Blitzer said he was “a few feet away” from who he believes was the gunman at the time of the shooting.

“All the sudden a guy with a weapon, it was a very, very serious weapon, it starts shooting, and I happened to have been a few feet away from him as he was shooting,” Blitzer said.

New York Times reporter Shawn McCreesh described sounds of screaming and “plates shattering”.

“A Secret Service agent in a tuxedo had escorted me to the men’s room moments before the shooting began in the hall just outside,” McCreesh wrote. “We heard screaming and what sounded like plates shattering. We darted out of the bathroom. As we turned the corner, other agents had their guns drawn and pointed directly at us. They started screaming at us to run across the hall and get low.”