Gunman Shot Dead at the Door
as Trump, Melania, and Vance Are Rushed Out
A gunman was shot and killed by Secret Service agents at the security screening checkpoint of the Washington Hilton on Saturday night — moments after President Trump, in his first-ever appearance at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, had taken his seat at the head table. Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and 11 Cabinet members were evacuated. All are safe. No civilian attendees were injured.
He never made it past the magnetometers.
Shortly after 8:30 PM ET on Saturday, April 25, 2026, a gunman approached the security screening checkpoint at the entrance to the Washington Hilton ballroom — where the 2026 White House Correspondents’ Dinner was underway. He did not get inside. Law enforcement agents stationed at the magnetometers confronted him in the lobby, near a back stairwell opposite the stage. At least six shots were fired, according to a law enforcement source briefed on the incident by CBS News. The gunman was shot dead at the checkpoint by Secret Service agents.
Inside the ballroom, the shots were audible. CNN White House correspondent Wolf Blitzer, present at the dinner, reported hearing the shots and said a police officer threw him to the floor. Hundreds of guests ducked under tables. Secret Service agents were heard yelling “shots fired” as they moved to secure protectees. The evacuation from the head table was immediate.
A CDM report and a White House pool report from the Washington Times’ Jeff Mordock referenced Secret Service radio traffic indicating a possible second individual was taken into custody. Bloomberg reported “an alleged shooter in custody.” Major outlets including CBS News, CNN, NBC News, and Fox News have reported one gunman dead; the second-suspect detail had not been independently confirmed by multiple major newsrooms as of late Saturday evening.
14 senior officials pulled from the room.
The evacuation swept virtually the entire senior leadership of the United States government out of the ballroom simultaneously. Trump had arrived at the dinner only minutes before the incident — this was his first-ever attendance at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner as President (he boycotted every dinner during his first term, 2017–2021). He had just sat down at the head table and begun speaking with the evening’s entertainer, mentalist Oz Pearlman, when the shots rang out.
No protectees were harmed. No civilian attendees reported injuries. The Secret Service confirmed all protectees were safe within minutes of the incident.
What happened, in sequence.
A gunman approaches the magnetometer screening area at the entrance to the White House Correspondents' Dinner ballroom at the Washington Hilton. Law enforcement agents are stationed at the checkpoint. The confrontation occurs outside the main ballroom.
At least 6 shots are fired near the back stairwell area opposite the stage, per a law enforcement source briefed on the incident. Multiple attendees inside the ballroom hear the shots. CNN correspondent Wolf Blitzer, present at the dinner, reports hearing the shots and says a police officer threw him to the ground.
Secret Service agents immediately begin evacuating protectees from the head table. Trump, Melania, Vance, and all Cabinet-level officials present are rushed from the ballroom. Trump had arrived at the dinner only minutes before the incident, having just sat down and begun speaking with entertainer Oz Pearlman.
The gunman is shot and killed by law enforcement — confirmed by CBS News, CNN, NBC News, UPI, and TMZ — at the magnetometer screening area in the lobby. A second individual is reported in custody by CDM and referenced in a White House pool report, though this detail remains unconfirmed by major outlets as of press time.
WHCA President and CBS News White House correspondent Weijia Jiang addresses the remaining guests still seated in the ballroom: 'Our program is going to resume momentarily. We will have more details to share, also momentarily.'
President Trump posts to Truth Social: '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.'
The WHCA announces the dinner will resume. The joint Secret Service and DC Metropolitan Police Department investigation continues. The shooter's identity and motive remain unknown as of late evening. No civilian injuries are reported.
“They acted quickly and bravely.”
President Trump posted to Truth Social within minutes of being secured:
“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.”
President Donald Trump · Truth Social · April 25, 2026
Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi confirmed all protectees were safe and a joint investigation with DC Metropolitan Police was underway:
“The president and first lady, along with all protectees, are safe. A person is in custody. Law enforcement is actively assessing the situation.”
Anthony Guglielmi, Secret Service spokesperson · April 25, 2026
WHCA President Weijia Jiang (CBS News White House correspondent), who was chairing the event, addressed the ballroom directly:
“Our program is going to resume momentarily. We will have more details to share, also momentarily.”
Weijia Jiang, WHCA President · Washington Hilton Ballroom · April 25, 2026
His first time there. Four years of boycotts.
The significance of Trump’s presence at the 2026 White House Correspondents’ Dinner cannot be overstated as context for the security environment. During his entire first term (2017–2021), Trump refused to attend the WHCD — a tradition the association had maintained with every sitting president since the 1920s. His return to the dinner for his second term was treated as a historic moment of normalization between the White House and the Washington press corps.
The dinner itself was unusual in format. Rather than a comedian roasting the administration — a tradition that had grown contentious — the WHCA opted for mentalist and entertainer Oz Pearlman, who had described his role as one intended to “unite” attendees across political lines. He said audiences would “laugh, applaud, and have their jaws drop.” The irony that he was mid-conversation with Trump when gunshots interrupted the evening was noted by multiple outlets.
The Washington Hilton’s International Ballroom is one of the most thoroughly secured civilian event venues in the United States when the WHCD is held — magnetometers, Secret Service sweep teams, DC Metro Police, and uniformed Capitol Police all participate in the security footprint. That a gunman was stopped at the checkpoint — and did not breach the ballroom — is precisely the system functioning as designed. The shooter never reached the room.
- ✓Gunman shot and killed by Secret Service at the Washington Hilton security checkpoint · ~8:30 PM ET, April 25, 2026
- ✓President Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, VP Vance, and 11 Cabinet members evacuated — all safe, no injuries
- ✓At least 6 shots fired, per law enforcement source (CBS News)
- ✓Shooting occurred in the lobby / near a stairwell at the security checkpoint — NOT inside the ballroom
- ✓No civilian attendees reported injured
- ✓Secret Service and DC Metropolitan Police Department conducting joint investigation
- ✓WHCA announced dinner would resume; Trump recommended “Let the Show Go On”
- ?Shooter’s identity — not yet publicly released by law enforcement
- ?Shooter’s motive — unknown, under investigation
- ?Whether a confirmed second suspect is in custody — single-source reporting, unconfirmed by major outlets
- ?Whether the dinner fully resumed following the pause
- ?Any formal DC Metropolitan Police Department public statement