At the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, a shooting incident occurred that forced security services to urgently evacuate President Donald Trump directly from the stage. According to sources, Vice President JD Vance and members of the Cabinet were escorted out with him. All are safe, and the suspect was detained at the scene.
The shooting began inside the secured area of the Washington Hilton hotel where the event was taking place. Law enforcement officials noted that the shooter—a 30-year-old man from California—was quickly neutralized. One Secret Service agent was wounded, but thanks to protective gear, their life is not in danger. The injured agent has been hospitalized, and there is no threat to other guests.
Response and Evacuation
Immediately after the first shots, security staff began evacuating high-ranking guests, including House Speaker Mike Johnson. Journalists present, among them Wolf Blitzer from CNN, took cover in the hall as law enforcement regained control of the situation. According to Weijia Jiang, president of the Correspondents’ Association, none of the attendees were harmed, and further actions are being coordinated with law enforcement.
Next Steps and Statements
Donald Trump, after being evacuated, announced that he is returning to the White House and will make a statement to the press shortly. In his message on Truth Social, he expressed gratitude to service personnel for their prompt response and confirmed the apprehension of the shooter. The dinner organizers have already announced that the event will be rescheduled—a new date will be set within a month.
Context and details of the incident
The incident occurred at the same hotel where President Ronald Reagan was wounded in 1981. This time, thanks to the coordinated actions of the services, casualties among guests and officials were avoided. After the security operation was completed, the area was inspected and witnesses were interviewed. According to CNN, the evacuation was orderly, and most guests were able to leave the hall without panic.
