President Donald Trump applauded the Secret Service and law enforcement for acting quickly after a shooter opened fire at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner at the Washington Hilton Hotel Saturday evening.
After being evacuated from the venue, along with other members of the administration, the president wrote on Truth Social that it was “quite an evening” and said he recommended the annual dinner continue as planned.
“The shooter has been apprehended, and I have recommended that we “LET THE SHOW GO ON” but, will entirely be guided by Law Enforcement,” Trump wrote around 9:20 p.m.
Shortly after appetizers were served, a person fired several gunshots near the security checkpoint of the event, sending the entire ballroom into temporary lockdown. Journalists took cover underneath tables, including The Independent reporters.
Ultimately, security officials said the event should be postponed, but the president insisted it would happen within the next 30 days.
One U.S. Secret Service agent was shot but the president said he was in “great shape.”
What happened
Shortly after the appetizers were served, dinner attendees heard several gunshots ring out.
Reporters from The Independent, who were seated at a table in the back of the ballroom, said they heard approximately five gunshots before watching agents draw their firearms. Upon realizing what was happening, guests took cover underneath tables.
Secret Service swarmed the banquet hall, yelling at the president to get out of the way and demanding that people duck.
The president and first lady were swiftly removed from the scene.
One woman, who was seated at a table with reporters, began crying, saying the incident was the scariest thing she had ever experienced, according to The Independent’s John Bowden.
Wolf Blitzer, a long-time CNN journalist, said he saw “the shooter was clearly on the ground.”
Other members of the Trump administration who were in attendance, including Vice President JD Vance, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The president immediately returned to the White House to prepare to give an official statement from the briefing room.
Trump’s appearance at this year’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner marked the first time he was attending the annual event that raises money for the White House Correspondents’ Association since he became president in 2016.
Who is the shooter?
The shooter was identified as a 31-year-old man from California. The FBI confirmed it had taken the man into custody.
One Secret Service agent was shot within close range, but the bullet struck the agent’s bulletproof vest. The president said the agent was “doing great” and in “good spirits” after being shot.
Trump said the man was a “very sick person” and believes he was the target of the shooting, though law enforcement had not confirmed that as of Saturday evening.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the Justice Department was looking at charging the man with multiple crimes, including possession of a firearm.
How did a gun get inside the premises?
The California man accused of firing shots in the hotel rushed through the security checkpoint armed with multiple firearms, the president said.
In a video posted to Truth Social, members of the Secret Service can be seen drawing their firearms after the shooter sprints through the security checkpoint.
Trump told reporters the suspect charged from 50 yards away.
What did Trump say after?
Addressing reporters shortly after the shooting, the president praised law enforcement and members of the media for responding swiftly and truthfully to the incident.
Trump insisted the dramatic event would “bring together most parties” from all sides of the political spectrum.
“There was a record-setting group of people, and there was a tremendous amount of love and coming together,” Trump said in the White House Briefing Room surrounded by FBI Director Kash Patel, Defense Secretary Markwayne Mullin and Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.
The president said the White House Correspondents’ Association would redo the event within the next 30 days.
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