A shooter attempted to force entry to the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday evening, attended by Donald Trump for the first time. The American president, as well as many other officials, were evacuated and a member of the police was hit by gunfire. The suspect was arrested and will appear in court on Monday.

Published on: 04/26/2026 - 03:24 Modified on: 04/26/2026 - 11:47

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Donald Trump spoke on Saturday April 25 of the act of a “would-be assassin” after an armed man tried to force entry to a gala attended by the American president, then was arrested after shooting a member of the police.

“This is not the first time in recent years that our Republic has been attacked by a would-be assassin who sought to kill,” said Donald Trump, still in a tuxedo, during a press conference given at the White House about two hours after the incident.

In front of him, journalists in bow ties and long dresses, who like him had gone to this annual dinner bringing together the elite of politics and the media in Washington.

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A “lone wolf”, a “crazy”

The American president specified that a member of the police had been shot. He said the attacker, whose identity was not immediately released, was a "lone wolf" and a "crazy man."

The alleged perpetrator of the shooting will appear in court on Monday, American authorities announced at a press conference. He will be charged with two counts: the first for use of a firearm during a violent crime and the second for the assault of a federal agent using a dangerous weapon, said the prosecutor of the American capital, Jeanine Pirro.

Washington police reported that preliminary information indicated the suspect had booked a room at the hotel.

The assailant carried two firearms and numerous knives. He was not hit by gunfire during his arrest.

Shortly before his press briefing, Donald Trump broadcast security camera images on his Truth Social network showing a person rushing through the metal detection gantry located at the entrance to the room where the gala was held, and several members of the police drawing their weapons.

“It was, in a way, very beautiful, really a very beautiful thing to see a man rushing into a security checkpoint armed with several weapons, and he was neutralized by some very courageous members of the Secret Service, who acted very quickly,” declared the American president, referring to the service responsible for his security.

The Hilton Hotel in Washington, where the aborted dinner took place, is not "a particularly safe building", criticized Donald Trump. However, he acknowledged that the security system "was very safe", indicating that the shooter had been stopped before entering the large reception room where he was. It was in front of this hotel that President Ronald Reagan was shot and wounded in 1981 during an assassination attempt.

The room evacuated

The annual dinner of the White House Correspondents' Association had recently begun, according to the AFP journalists present, when a great commotion was heard at the doors of the room. Shouts of “Down! Down!” sounded.

The guests immediately lay down or knelt on the floor, many of them holding up their phones to film, while the president and first lady Melania Trump, seated at the head table on a raised platform facing the guests, were evacuated.

Agents of the Secret Service, the protection service of the president and members of the government, entered the room, heavily armed. The police then ordered the guests, journalists, ministers, politicians and various personalities to leave the huge room located in the first basement of the hotel.

On an AFP video, we can see President Trump sitting at the head table, with, among others, Vice-President J.D. Vance and his spokesperson Karoline Leavitt, as well as several journalists, while muffled knocks ring out which initially provoke no reaction. It was only after a few seconds that the guests seemed to realize that an incident had occurred, with Melania Trump showing an anguished face.

Heavily armed security agents then intervened very quickly and evacuated the president to the left of the stage. The background music stops, while other agents climb over the table and appear to be holding the audience at gunpoint.

Police then surrounded the scene and helicopters flew over the area in the center of the capital.

The White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) is the organizer of this major political-media rally, which brings together hundreds of people every spring and which Donald Trump, who relentlessly attacks the press, attended for the very first time as president.

With AFP

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