President Trump was hastily evacuated from the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday night after a suspected gunman tried to breach security and was shot by Secret Service, federal law enforcement officials tell Axios.
Driving the news: A suspect fired at Secret Service personnel at the event at the Washington Hilton hotel and is now in custody, a law enforcement source tells Axios. Trump plans to give a statement at the White House on Saturday night.
- "Shot was fired at secret service, but they are ok. Hit in protective equipment," the official said.
- Trump was not in immediate danger of being shot because the gunman was apprehended in the hotel lobby before he got to the magnetometers, a second source briefed by the FBI on the incident said.
- After the shooting, some attendees noted the magnetometers were immediately outside of the ballroom, not at the hotel entrance, allowing the alleged gunman to get closer than usual.
State of play: Armed agents fanned out across the ballroom to secure the safety of administration officials.
- After Trump was evacuated, armed Secret Service agents stood on the dais looking out into the crowd with their guns drawn but pointed down.
- Also evacuated along with Trump were Vice President Vance and first lady Melania Trump. Several Cabinet secretaries were also in the room.
- Guests at the dinner immediately dove to the ground and hid under their tables when the commotion began.
What they're saying: "We heard loud noise, saw Secret Service rush in, obviously pure chaos in the room very quickly," said Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y).
- "They moved to get the president and members of the Cabinet, understandably," he added.
- Lawler said the Secret Service yelled "shots fired," though there has been no confirmation at this time of gunfire.
In a Truth Social post, Trump praised the Secret Service and law enforcement for handling the situation, saying, "they acted quickly and bravely."
- The president added that the shooter has been apprehended.
- "[T]he evening will be much different than planned, and we'll just, plain, have to do it again," Trump said.
What's next: WHCA chair Weijia Jiang initially said the event would hopefully resume soon, but later returned to announce the dinner was canceled at the request of law enforcement.
- Trump "insists that we will reschedule this event in the next 30 days," she said.
Editor's note: This is a breaking news story and has been updated with additional information throughout.
