Trump evacuated from White House Correspondents’ Dinner

US President Donald Trump has been evacuated from the White House Correspondents’ Dinner at the Washington Hilton hotel after a shooting outside the ballroom, and the Secret Service has the alleged shooter in custody.

Attendees were seen hiding behind chairs at about 8.30pm Washington DC time when Secret Service agents rushed the stage to escort Trump and other dignitaries, including Vice President JD Vance and First Lady Melania Trump, from the long table at the front of the room.

The annual dinner for White House journalists was getting under way when armed security rushed in. Attendees were eating a spring pea and burrata salad and waiters had begun preparing to bring out the next course, when a security detail appeared on the ballroom floor and yelled for everyone to get down.

Secret Service agents yelled “shots fired”, “stay down” and “out of the way, sir!” as Trump and cabinet members were rushed out. All the leaders are reported uninjured.

Journalists in gowns and tuxedos ducked near tables as wine splattered onto white tablecloths and glasses clinked in the hurry to seek safety.

Some in the crowd reported hearing what they believed to be five to eight shots fired. At one point, someone in the room shouted, “USA!”

The FBI said the shooter was in custody and that its Washington field office is responding to the shooting. DC police say officers are at the scene.

The city’s Metropolitan Police Department posted a social message that said its officers were at the scene and coordinating with federal law enforcement.

“We will provide updated information once confirmed,” the message said.

Trump said in a Truth Social post about 30 minutes after the incident that law enforcement asked him to leave the premises, and he planned to give a news conference once back at the White House. The dinner would be rescheduled, he added.

“Quite an evening in D.C. Secret Service and Law Enforcement did a fantastic job,” he said. “They acted quickly and bravely.”

Generally, the Hilton hotel, where the dinner has taken place for years, remains open to regular guests during the White House Correspondents Dinner. It has typically been focused on the ballroom — rather than the hotel at large — with little screening for people not entering the dinner itself.

In past years, that has created openings for disruptions in the lobby and other public spaces, including protests in which security moved to remove guests who unfurled banners or staged demonstrations.

The alleged shooter was not inside the room. The incident took place near the “main magnetometer screening area”, the metal detectors attendees passed through before entering the ballroom.

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

The banquet hall, where hundreds of prominent journalists, celebrities and national leaders were awaiting Trump’s speech, was immediately evacuated. Members of the National Guard took up position inside the building as people were allowed to leave but not re-enter. Security outside was also extremely tight.

More to come

With Jessica McSweeney, AP