A Shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner

Updated at 10:46 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 25, 2026

We were under the table before we knew what was happening. One moment a military band was parading out of the Washington Hilton’s cavernous ballroom; hundreds of journalists and government officials, including two dozen of my Atlantic colleagues and myself dressed in our best or borrowed black tie, had turned to our arugula salads.

The next moment, armed agents—maybe Secret Service, maybe police, maybe hotel guards; it was hard to tell from where we were huddled under a tablecloth—were pushing their way through mounds of people, climbing over chairs, rushing to the stage, where President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump just moments before had been seated.

Just before 8:40 p.m., trays of plates and tableware fell to the floor with a crash and they screamed “Get down! Get down! Get under the table! Abajo! Abajo! ” There was at least one popping sound from the north end of the ballroom. People by the ballroom doors started to duck. Then plainclothes security rushed through the door.

One attendee sitting in the upper level of the ballroom right by the doors said he heard five or six hollow shots close by, and saw a Secret Service agent with his gun drawn backing down towards the ballroom, before diving under the tables. Andrew Kolvet, a Turning Point USA spokesman who was seated at a table near the dais, said he heard a “pop pop.”

Trump sat onstage for several seconds after the shots, watching people dive under tables before he was swarmed by his heavily armed security. It was the same hotel outside of which President Ronald Reagan was shot and injured in 1981. From then on, Washingtonians have known the sprawling building as the “Hinkley Hilton,” after shooter John Hinkley Jr.

Trump sat on stage for several seconds after the shots, watching people dive under tables before he was swarmed by his heavily armored security. Secret Service rushed the president and Vice President J.D. Vance, seated several spots down the dais from Trump, from the room. Senior government officials were dotted throughout the crowd of more than 2,000 people. Those who had planned to attend the dinner, in addition to Trump and Vance, included Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and White House adviser Stephen Miller.

Under the tables, we were piled on top of each other, squished together between table legs, high heels, and purses. Colleagues texted loved ones and tried to understand what was happening around them. When I poked my head out, I saw two men in suits drag a woman in a green sequined gown out, one pulling each arm. As guests still huddled for safety, security agents dragged a number of individuals dressed in gowns or tuxedos out of the ballroom.

Some journalists assumed at first that there had been a bomb threat. Attendees passed through security gates before entering the ballroom, but that screening site was deep within the hotel. Overall, the security seemed lighter than at an airport.

When we emerged, we and other guests asked one another what had happened. Journalists, diplomats, and various officials all looked dazed; many panned the room with their cellphone cameras. At one point, hotel ushers began shouting at everyone to leave, prompting some attendees to briefly dive back under the tables. At 8:55 p.m., hotel staff appeared and ordered all attendees to leave, shouting “Let’s go! Go!”

As the press was escorted out, Kash Patel was in a basement hallway, on his phone and surrounded by a small security detail. Erika Kirk was also standing near him, visibly emotional.

Soon after that, the Secret Service said the shooting had occurred near a security screening station, in a lower lobby outside the ballroom. One person was in custody, the agency said in a statement: “The president and the first lady are safe along with all protectees.”

Trump, in a Truth Social post, said he, the first lady, and Cabinet members were “in perfect condition.” He said he would address the public shortly from the White House and would reschedule the event within 30 days.

Outside, in the chilly April evening, helicopters circled; ambulances with their lights flashing idled nearby.

This is a developing story and will be updated as we get more information.