Trump evacuated from the White House correspondents’ dinner

xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogleAdd Al Jazeera on GoogleinfoAgents draw their guns after loud bangs were heard during the White House correspondents' dinner at the Washington Hilton in Washington, DC, on April 25, 2026 [Mandel Ngan/AFP]By Al Jazeera StaffPublished On 26 Apr 202626 Apr 2026United States President Donald Trump was evacuated from the White House correspondents’ dinner in Washington, DC, after shots were fired outside the event.

Trump was rushed out of the Washington Hilton hotel on Saturday evening after gunshots were heard outside the ballroom where the president and the first lady had been seated before the start of the annual media gala.

Trump said in a post on Truth Social that he and his Cabinet were safe, and that he would give a news conference from the White House shortly.

“The First Lady, plus the Vice President, and all Cabinet members, are in perfect condition,” Trump said.

“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.”

Trump also hailed the actions of the US Secret Service and local law enforcement.

“They acted quickly and bravely,” Trump said, adding that he had recommend that the event continue as planned but would defer to law enforcement.

The US Secret Service said the shooting had occurred at a “screening area” and that one individual was in custody.

“The condition of those involved is not yet known, and law enforcement is actively assessing the situation,” the agency said.

Footage from the scene showed Trump and attendees taking cover behind their table after shots rang out, as people yelled “Get down!” and “Stay down!”

Trump was then rushed away from the scene by Secret Service agents, after which heavily armed agents surrounded the table.

Al Jazeera producer Chris Sheridan said he heard what he believed to be five gunshots outside the ballroom.

“We could smell the powder. We immediately dove to the ground. It was directly behind me,” Sheridan said.

“I couldn’t tell how many feet away, but it was definitely behind the doors to the entrance to the ballroom.”

Sheridan said there was a very heavy police presence around the hotel.

“They are trying to clear the area at the moment,” he said.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo expressed her relief that Trump and the First Lady were unharmed.

“We send our respect,” she said in a post on X. “Violence should never be the way.”

Trump has been targeted in multiple assassination attempts, including a near-miss shooting in 2024 that wounded his right ear.