Shots were fired at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday.
Panic erupted throughout the Washington Hilton hotel on Saturday evening, where the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner was being held with President Donald Trump, JD Vance, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Erika Kirk, and several members of Congress. Why? Because just outside the hotel’s ballroom where the political figures gathered, shots were fired.
According to an eyewitness account shared with People, the shooting occurred at around 8:36 p.m. local time — just minutes after White House Correspondents’ Association President Wejia Jiang invited the guests to begin eating. When news of the attack trickled into the ballroom, guests reportedly scrambled to hide under tables.
How terrifying!
In footage circulating across social media, Secret Service agents can be seen rushing to the stage where Trump and Vance sat to get them to safety. In one video, Vance is seen being ushered off the stage in one direction by Secret Service agents, while Trump is rushed off the other direction, momentarily falling to the ground in the process. Watch (below):
8:34:33 PM: A series of gunshots can be heard in the ballroom. On the dais where President Trump is seated, the gunshots are muted, if audible at all. For guests in the back of the venue, the sound and smell of gunpowder are unmistakable. pic.twitter.com/N22nvriLCd
— CBS News (@CBSNews) April 26, 2026
President Trump and Vice President Vance were rushed off stage after a gunman opened fire at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. pic.twitter.com/HPJDEjT1uH
— CBS News (@CBSNews) April 26, 2026
The 47th President later addressed the madness in a press conference:
“That was very unexpected, but incredibly acted on by Secret Service and law enforcement.”
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He continued:
“A man charged a security checkpoint armed with multiple weapons, and he was taken down by some very brave members of Secret Service and they acted very quickly.”
Trump revealed “one officer was shot” during the confrontation, “but was saved by the fact that he was wearing a very good bullet proof vest.” He revealed:
“He was shot from very close distance with a very powerful gun. The vest did the job.”
Trump confirmed the unnamed officer is in “great shape” after the near-death experience.”
On Truth Social, the President shared footage of the gunman storming the hotel, followed up by multiple photos of him face down on the carpet with his arms restrained in handcuffs behind his back. See (below):
The suspect has since been identified as Cole Thomas Allen, a mechanical engineer-turned-video game-developer and part-time teacher, who graduated with a Masters in Science from California State University, Dominguez Hills last year, according to his LinkedIn profile. Per NBC News, he has no other criminal history.
DC Metropolitan Police Department interim chief Jeff Carroll revealed on Saturday night Thomas entered the hotel with a shotgun, handgun, and several knives in tow. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche revealed on Meet the Press on Sunday that Thomas is believed to have been targeting members of the Trump administration, and reportedly fired between five and eight shots, including the one that struck an officer, before being apprehended.
US Attorney Jeanine Pirro has revealed Thomas will face at least two charges, including using a firearm during a crime of violence, and assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon.
During Trump’s press conference, he emphasized the need for his $400 million White House ballroom addition in the wake of the attack:
“We looked at all of the conditions that took place tonight and I will say it’s not a particularly secure building. I didn’t want to say this, but this is why we have to have all the attributes of what we’re planning at the White House. It’s actually a larger room, much more secure, it’s drone-proof, bulletproof glass. We need the ballroom, this is why the Secret Service and military are demanding it. They’ve wanted the ballroom for 150 years for lots of different reasons, but today is a little bit different because today we need levels of security that probably nobody’s ever seen before.”
Watch more (below):
What are YOUR reactions to this terrifying incident, Perezcious readers? Be sure to let us know in the comments down below.
To learn more about the impact of gun violence, visit https://www.apha.org/topics-and-issues/gun-violence
[Images via MEGA/WENN]
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