President Trump praised the Secret Service for taking down a gunman who fired several shots inside the Washington Hilton hotel, where Mr. Trump and most of his Cabinet were sitting in the ballroom at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
“I saw a room that was just totally unified. It was, in one way, very beautiful, a very beautiful thing to see,” Mr. Trump, speaking at the White House, said of the scene he witnessed earlier in the ballroom.
Mr. Trump said the man had several weapons, including a powerful long gun, when he encountered Secret Service agents outside the ballroom.
Mr. Trump, Mr. Vance, FBI Director Kash Patel, Homeland Security Director Markwayne Mullen and other members of the administration had gathered at the White House and, still in tuxes, met with the press in the White House briefing room.
The dinner was canceled. Mr. Trump said it would be rescheduled in the next 30 days.
“I fought like hell to stay,” Mr. Trump said. “But it was protocol.”
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Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said charges against the shooter, who was quickly taken into custody, will be announced soon.
Mr. Patel said the investigation is ongoing and witnesses are being interviewed.
The shooting marks the third attempt on Mr. Trump’s life since July 2024, when a would-be assassin fired shots at him while he campaigned on a stage in Butler, Pennsylvania. A second failed assassination attempt took place in September 2024 on his West Palm Beach golf course. The attempted assassin in that incident was stopped by the Secret Service and is now serving a life sentence.
On Saturday, Mr. Trump was rushed off stage at the Washington Hilton and evacuated to another area of the hotel while the Secret Service took down the shooter and whipped out long guns from the ballroom stage.
Shocked guests ducked under tables and soon fled the ballroom after hearing a succession of shots. Some smelled gunsmoke.
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 26, 2026
SEE ALSO: Shots fired at White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Trump rushed from the stage
The shooter is in custody.
One member of law enforcement was shot in the chest, but was wearing a bulletproof vest. Mr. Trump said he’s talked to the officer.
The shooter has not been identified, but social media posts say he’s a man in his 30s from California. Mr. Trump said law enforcement officers were already searching the man’s home in California.
Pictures on social media show a man face down with his hands cuffed behind his back at the top of a staircase near the ballroom.
The Secret Service said in a statement that it is “investigating a shooting incident” that took place near the magnetometer screening area at the dinner. One person is in custody and the condition of those involved is not yet known.
Law enforcement, the statement said, “is actively assessing the situation.”
• Susan Ferrechio can be reached at sferrechio@washingtontimes.com.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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