White House shooting news: Gunman wounds 3 at correspondents’ dinner as Trump evacuated

Muhammad Asghar | GlobalBeat

A shooter opened fire during the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on Saturday night, wounding 3 people before Secret Service agents shot the gunman dead.

President Donald Trump was swiftly evacuated from the Washington Hilton ballroom as guests dove under tables when shots rang out around 9:47 pm, according to Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi.

The annual dinner, nicknamed “Nerd Prom,” gathers journalists, politicians and celebrities for what is typically a lighthearted roast of the administration. This year’s event had already drawn protests over Trump’s tense relationship with the press corps. The shooting transforms the evening into another security crisis for a president who survived 2 assassination attempts during his 2024 campaign.

Panic spread through the sold-out ballroom of 2,600 attendees. “People were screaming, crawling over each other to get out,” Associated Press reporter Zeke Miller told MSNBC from inside the venue. “The shots came from the back near the kitchen entrance.”

Secret Service agents formed a protective ring around Trump’s table, then hustled him through a side door as attendees sheltered behind overturned chairs. The president emerged safely and returned to the White House within 45 minutes, White House communications director Steven Cheung confirmed.

The gunman died at George Washington University Hospital from multiple gunshot wounds, Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith said during a midnight press conference. Officers recovered a 9mm Glock pistol and extended magazine at the scene.

Two guests suffered gunshot wounds, while a third was trampled in the stampede, Smith added. All 3 victims remain in stable condition. Their identities have not been released.

International condemnation poured in within hours. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer tweeted he was “horrified by the attack on American democracy tonight.” French President Emmanuel Macron posted: “The free press must never be silenced by violence.”

Chinese leader Xi Jinping sent a formal message of sympathy through embassy channels, state media reported, calling the shooting “a tragedy against journalists everywhere.” The response stands out given Trump’s recent 35% tariffs on Chinese imports that sparked trade war fears.

The incident compounds growing concerns about political violence in America. The shooting occurs just 8 months after a bullet grazed Trump’s ear at a Pennsylvania rally, and 15 months after a far-right extremist attacked his Florida golf club. Saturday’s shooter has not been publicly identified, and police have not suggested a motive.

Security protocols face immediate scrutiny. Dinner attendees pass through magnetometers and bag checks, but the gunman somehow bypassed screening. “We are reviewing every aspect of how this weapon entered the building,” Secret Service Director Sean Curran told reporters.

Past correspondents’ dinners drew protests but never gunfire. The 2011 dinner proceeded as Navy SEALs killed Osama bin Laden hours earlier. Ronald Reagan survived an assassination attempt in 1981 after leaving the same Hilton venue, prompting permanent street closures.

Some journalists questioned whether to continue the tradition. “This dinner always blurred lines between press and power,” said Washington Post media critic Margaret Sullivan. “After tonight, that seems reckless.”

The White House Correspondents’ Association canceled after-parties and urged members to head home. “We are shocked and saddened by this senseless act of violence,” association president Eugene Daniels wrote in a statement. “Our thoughts are with the victims.”

Trump had planned to mock media coverage of his tariff policies and staff shake-ups during his scheduled comedy routine. Instead, he addressed the nation from the White House around 11:30 pm. “We will not let hatred silence our voices or stop our work,” he said, calling the shooter “a coward who attacked our sacred First Amendment.”

Republican lawmakers echoed Trump’s defiance while demanding answers. House Speaker Mike Johnson announced an immediate oversight hearing into Secret Service procedures. “Americans deserve to know how a gunman infiltrated the most protected political dinner in the country,” the Louisiana Republican posted.

Democrats struck a different tone. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer linked the shooting to Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric toward journalists. “Words have consequences,” the New York senator told CNN. “When you call reporters enemies of the people, don’t act surprised when violence follows.”

The gunfire erupted moments after comedian Desi Lydic finished jokes about Trump’s age and legal troubles. Video shows attendees initially laughing at what they thought was stage pyrotechnics before screams revealed the horror. Lydic was rushed offstage by security.

Background

The White House Correspondents’ Association formed in 1914 after President Woodrow Wilson threatened to end press conferences. The dinner began as a simple gathering but evolved into a celebrity magnet during the Clinton administration. Critics argue the event symbolizes coziness between Washington journalists and officials they cover.

Political violence has shadowed American journalism before. In 2018, a gunman killed 5 employees at Maryland’s Capital Gazette newspaper. The Committee to Protect Journalists reports 17 journalists killed in the United States since 1992, though most were local reporters covering crime.

What’s Next

Secret Service Director Curran faces a Tuesday morning grilling before the House Homeland Security Committee. Senators requested a classified briefing on security failures by Wednesday. The White House Correspondents’ Association will meet Monday to decide whether to hold next year’s dinner, already booked for April 25, 2027.

The shooting investigation could stretch for months as FBI agents trace the gunman’s movements, online posts and potential accomplices. Trump’s protective detail will likely expand permanently, adding another layer of separation between the president and public events.

The incident will fuel ongoing debates about political rhetoric, press freedom and the price of democracy in an era of deepening polarization.