Politics
We were there: Hearing gunfire and ducking for cover at the D.C. dinner shooting
WASHINGTON — Directly outside the Washington Hilton ballroom, as the yearly White House Correspondents’ Assn. dinner got underway Saturday, a Times reporter had just entered the men’s room when he heard a handful of loud pops ring out.
“Shooter!” someone shouted. “Get down! Shots fired!”
Inside the ballroom, thousands of journalists and politicians began to duck for cover as the event devolved from a celebration of free speech to a scene of fear.
The Times had six reporters at the dinner, seated at a table near the right side of the stage.
The Times reporter in the restroom, Gavin Quinton, heard the gunfire around 8:30 p.m. He had left The Times’ table minutes earlier, moving past the TV cameras and up toward the raised terrace near the ballroom’s security entrance. He crossed paths with CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer.
Outside the restroom, Cole Tomas Allen, 31, had broken into a sprint through the metal detectors, security footage would later show, getting within feet of the ballroom entrance.
Five or six shots fired by Secret Service agents missed Allen before agents brought him down near a staircase leading to the main floor, where Trump sat prominently in view.
A federal agent was hit in the chest in the exchange of gunfire but was wearing a bullet-proof vest and not seriously injured.
Inside the restroom, Quinton crouched near a corner. Others rushed into the room, including three hotel security guards who flung themselves in so quickly their backs slammed against the tiled wall. Within moments, a Secret Service agent positioned himself at the bathroom entrance, his pistol drawn.
“Head count?” he asked.
“A dozen — no, 15!” someone shouted back.
People stayed locked in bathroom stalls. Some tried to overcome the poor cellphone service to call loved ones. Confused, the mix of tuxedo-clad attendees, uniformed hotel guards and waitstaff tried to piece together what had happened.
“He had a gun,” one of the hotel guards said.
Another witness told Quinton that he initially thought Blitzer had been the shooter’s target.
“I look around and I hear shots as I’m opening the door. And I turn and I see him,” the man said of the gunman. “I look again and I’m like, ‘Oh, they just shot someone.’ ”
Blitzer, who was tackled to the floor by officers during the incident, would later say that “the first thing that went through my mind was whether he was going to shoot me.”
As the group speculated over whether the shooter had died in the volley, one man wondered aloud whether the event would continue. Initially thinking the gunman must have been killed, Quinton replied no.
“Why not?” the man asked. “It’s a bad guy who’s dead. It was a good f— ending. Seriously.”
The Washington Hilton has hosted the annual correspondents’ dinner for decades. The event, referred to locally as “Nerd Prom,” now comes with a slate of pre-parties and after-parties.
This was the president’s first appearance at the dinner since 2015; he had skipped it during his entire first term.
Questions now surround the security protocols. Guests faced little screening to enter the hotel on Saturday — a quick flash of a paper ticket — before heading down escalators to the only area with magnetometers, where bags were also searched.
Trump had entered the ballroom at 8:15 p.m. as the Marine band played “Hail to the Chief.”
Twenty minutes later, videos show, Secret Service officers with ballistic vests and long guns barked instructions to clear a path as they rushed into the ballroom and onto the stage.
One agent pulled Vice President JD Vance away. Another escorted Trump, who appeared to trip, but later explained he had been urged to drop to the floor.
Other officials — Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, FBI Director Kash Patel, Homeland Security advisor Stephen Miller — were quickly whisked away too.
At The Times’ table in the ballroom, nothing appeared amiss at first.
Waiters had just begun to clear plates of spring pea and burrata salad. The reporters did not hear the gunshots, but watched as the room fell silent and others began to drop from their seats and duck under the floor-length white tablecloths.
One reporter lost a shoe in the process and then feared a gunman would spot it. She dragged it under the table.
They stayed in place for several minutes, texting loved ones and waiting for an all-clear, but none came.
From under the tablecloth, reporters heard someone yell out, “God bless America! USA!” They feared that was the shooter.
It turned out to be Dan Scavino, White House deputy chief of staff. The chant did not catch on.
Eventually, others could be heard speaking loudly and dishes clanking. Guests began to peek out from under their tables and warily stand up. Uneasy laughter flickered about the ballroom.
Cellphone service inside the ballroom was spotty. There was confusion at first about whether a shooting had occurred or whether plates dropping to the floor had been mistaken for gunshots.
“I thought it was a tray going down,” Trump said later.
Just before 9 p.m., Weijia Jiang, a senior White House correspondent for CBS News who is president of the White House Correspondents’ Assn., told guests the program would “resume momentarily.”
A half hour later, Jiang returned to the stage and announced that law enforcement had requested guests leave the premises. She said Trump had told her no one was hurt and that he, the first lady and members of the Cabinet were safe.
In closing remarks, Jiang said journalism is a public service “because when there is an emergency, we run to the crisis — not away from it.”
“And on a night when we are thinking about the freedoms of the 1st Amendment, we must also think about how fragile they are,” she said. “I saw all of you reporting, and that’s what we do.”
Law enforcement and media leaders offered conflicting guidance. Quinton was among the first to evacuate the building, though the vast majority of guests waited inside for longer.
On his way out, he noticed a metal detector had already partially been dismantled when the shooter ran through.
Quinton passed the grounded shooter, restrained on his stomach, near the staircase just 20 or so feet from the bathroom entrance. He lifted his phone and recorded a brief, shaky video of the scene before security forced him out of the hotel and onto the street.
The entire spectrum of emotion was on display when security finally ordered everyone to evacuate. Women in gowns ran in fear. One man sobbed into the sleeves of his evening jacket.
Photos on social media showed others stopping to take selfies. Some drank wine straight form the bottle.
Quinton spotted the presidential motorcade outside of the hotel lobby at about 8:45 p.m. Around the same time, an ambulance arrived as about 100 event attendees were escorted out of the secured event perimeter.
More law enforcement was inside the hotel as guests exited the building, including agents from the Secret Service, ATF, FBI and the Department of Homeland Security. National Guard soldiers replaced celebrities and politicians at the red carpet entrance.
Outside, Metropolitan police ushered people north on Columbia Road NW. Hungry guests in tuxedos filed into a nearby 7-Eleven. The dinner’s main course — prime beef and Maine lobster — had not been served.
At the White House afterward, Trump said the event would be rescheduled.
“We’re not going to let anybody take over our society,” he told reporters who had rushed to the news conference still dressed in gowns and black tie. “We’re not going to cancel things out because we can’t do that.”
Meanwhile, the night’s after-parties continued, though organizers attempted a more somber tone. MS NOW, for instance, told those who had RSVP’d that their “Democracy After Hours” party would be a “space for friends and colleagues to be together.”
Independent journalist Tara Palmeri posted a photo on the social media site X of a full party with blue mood lighting.
“People were still partying, still hitting WHCD afterparties last night,” she wrote. “Epstein corruption, an escalating Iran conflict, and an active shooter— and Washington just… kept going. The cognitive dissonance is the system.”
On Sunday morning, the Washington Hilton appeared back to normal, except for the presence of journalists using the hotel as a backdrop for their live shots.
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Former President Barack Obama said the motive behind the shooting outside the White House Correspondents’ Dinner remains unclear, even as investigators review writings from the suspect outlining plans to target President Donald Trump and members of his administration.
Obama’s statement on X focused first on the lack of confirmed details about what drove the attack before condemning violence more broadly and praising the Secret Service.
“Although we don’t yet have the details about the motives behind last night’s shooting at the White House Correspondents Dinner, it’s incumbent upon all us to reject the idea that violence has any place in our democracy,” Obama wrote on X. “It’s also a sobering reminder of the courage and sacrifice that U.S. Secret Service Agents show every day.
“I’m grateful to them – and thankful that the agent who was shot is going to be okay,” he added.
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Composite image shows the alleged White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooter, Cole Allen, restrained on the ground by law enforcement (left), alongside former President Barack Obama (right). (Cole Alan: @realDonaldTrump via Truth Social ; Obama: Getty Images)
Fox News Digital has reached out to Obama’s team for clarification on his comments.
Authorities have identified the suspect as 31-year-old Cole Allen of California, who allegedly opened fire at the Washington Hilton during the annual event attended by Trump and senior administration officials.
Federal law enforcement officials confirmed to Fox News Digital that after Allen’s arrest, he said he intended to target Trump administration officials and had prepared a manifesto detailing his intent, while also sharing anti-Trump and anti-Christian rhetoric on social media.
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The writings identified administration officials as potential targets and expressed grievances tied to the Trump administration, with investigators examining those statements as part of what may have driven the attack.
Law enforcement officials have not formally confirmed a definitive motive as the investigation remains ongoing.
During an interview with “60 Minutes” host Norah O’Donnell that aired Sunday evening, Trump took issue after she read a portion of the alleged manifesto.
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President Donald Trump speaks during a press briefing in the Brady Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., on April 25, 2026, following a shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
O’Donnell referenced passages in which the suspect appeared to outline a motive, writing that administration officials were “targets” and making inflammatory accusations against Trump before asking for the president’s reaction.
“I was waiting for you to read that because I knew you would…you’re horrible people,” Trump told O’Donnell.
“You read that crap from some sick person? I got associated with all stuff that has nothing to do with me,” he continued, adding he was exonerated.
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Trump then took direct aim at the host.
“I’m not any of those things,” he said. “You should be ashamed of yourself reading that. You shouldn’t be reading that on ‘60 Minutes.’ You’re a disgrace, but, go ahead, let’s finish the interview.”
Buckingham Palace said on Sunday that it was assessing plans for this week’s scheduled U.S. visit by King Charles III and Queen Camilla in light of the shooting on Saturday at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington, D.C.
The palace said in a statement that discussions would take place “throughout the day” to consider “to what degree the events of Saturday evening may or may not impact on the operational planning for the visit.” It expressed the king’s relief that no guests were hurt.
It said that the king had been “kept fully informed of developments” and that he was “greatly relieved” that Mr. Trump, Melania Trump and all other guests were unharmed.
There was no immediate indication that plans for the king’s state visit, which was scheduled to begin Monday, would change. The British royals have been preparing for a four-day visit hosted by President Trump, including an address to Congress and a banquet at the White House. The visit was arranged to celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence, and the royals are set to stop in New York and Washington, D.C.
Planning for the visit began long before the United States and Israel attacked Iran in late February, setting off a war that has put considerable strain on the U.S.- British relationship.
Mr. Trump has disparaged Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his government over Britain’s reluctance to join the offensive. Still, Mr. Starmer joined a chorus of world leaders to express solidarity with Mr. Trump on Sunday. The British government said that Mr. Starmer had spoken with President Trump by phone on Sunday.
Some have hoped that the royals’ visit could smooth over geopolitical tensions. Mr. Trump likes pomp and circumstance. And he has praised the king, who hosted the president for a state visit to Britain last September.
“I look forward to spending time with the King, whom I greatly respect,” Mr. Trump wrote on social media last month. “It will be TERRIFIC!”
Esther Bintliff contributed reporting.
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President Donald Trump infamously acknowledges he is choosing the world’s most “dangerous profession,” but surviving a third unprecedented assassination attempt — including one where he was shot in the ear — is only hardening his resolve.
“I’ve studied assassinations, and I must tell you, the most impactful people, the people that do the most” are the targets, Trump said in a Saturday night White House press briefing after an alleged would-be assassin was stopped by the U.S. Secret Service at the Washington Hilton, the notorious site of former President Ronald Reagan’s shooting in 1981.
“You take a look at the people, Abraham Lincoln, I mean, you go through the people that have gone through this where they got them, but the people that do the most, the people that make the biggest impact, they’re the ones that they go after.
“They don’t go after the ones that don’t do much because they like it that way.”
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President Donald Trump gestures as he speaks in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House after an unspecified threat at the annual White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in Washington, Saturday, April 25, 2026. (Jose Luis Magana/AP)
In Trump’s case, three thwarted assassinations are part of his presidential lore, facing a string of shootings, plots and major security breaches unlike anything in history.
Trump cautiously admitted, “I hate to say I’m honored by that,” but noted that “the big names” and the big movers are the targets.
Saturday night’s chaos at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in Washington added a new entry to a list already defined by gunfire in Butler, Pa. (July 13, 2024), an armed suspect at his Florida golf club (Sept. 15, 2024) and the Secret Service’s discovery of a sniper’s nest in eyeshot of where Air Force One lands at Palm Beach International in Florida.
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Trump hailed the unity at the WHCA dinner in a room of some of his fiercest critics in the media, urging Americans to unify in divided political times.
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“In light of this evening’s events, I asked that all Americans recommit with their hearts and resolving our differences peacefully,” Trump said. “We have to resolve our differences.”
“I will say you had Republicans, Democrats, Independents, conservatives, liberals and progressives — those words are interchangeable, perhaps, but maybe they’re not — but yet everybody in that room, big crowd, record-setting crowd. There was a record-setting group of people, and there was a tremendous amount of love and coming together,” Trump continued.
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“I watched, and I was very, very impressed by that.“
Law enforcement officials block off a street at an address connected to Cole Tomas Allen, the shooting suspect at the White House Correspondents Dinner, in Torrance, Calif., on April 25, 2026. (Ethan Swope/AP)
Trump and first lady Melania Trump were rushed from the Washington Hilton after shots were fired outside the ballroom, where the president had been scheduled to speak.
Authorities said one officer was shot but protected by a ballistic vest, and the suspect, Cole Tomas Allen of California, was taken into custody before breaching the room.
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The three men at the center of the most serious known threats are now Thomas Matthew Crooks (Butler suspect, deceased), Ryan Wesley Routh (Palm Beach suspect, sentenced to life) and now Allen (arrested and charged Saturday night).
Crooks, 20, opened fire at the July 13, 2024, campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The FBI identified Crooks as the shooter after he hit Trump in the right ear and killed rallygoer Corey Comperatore before being shot dead by a Secret Service countersniper.
Routh, 59, received a life sentence for his attempt at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach in September 2024. Prosecutors said Secret Service agents spotted him with a rifle near the course while Trump was playing, prompting an agent to open fire before Routh could get a shot off.
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Allen, identified in Saturday night’s Washington incident, is the newest name on that list. Authorities have announced firearms and assault-related charges.
Law enforcement at a Saturday night news conference said Allen was armed with multiple weapons and allegedly fired during a rush at a security perimeter near the dinner, striking a Secret Service agent in his bulletproof vest before being “tackled” to the ground without taking a bullet from the Secret Service.
“One officer was shot, but saved by the fact that he was wearing an obviously a very good bulletproof vest,” Trump told reporters, many still in their tuxedos, having left the canceled WHCA dinner, too. “He was shot from very close distance with a very powerful gun, and the vest did the job. I just spoke to the officer and he’s doing great. He’s great shape. He’s very high spirits, and we told him we love him and respect him.”
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Taken together, the three cases underscore how Trump’s security profile has changed from unusually fraught to historically extraordinary. One attempt drew blood on a campaign stage, another ended in a life sentence after a rifle ambush at a golf course, and the latest forced a presidential evacuation from one of Washington’s highest-profile public events.
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Trump signaled Saturday night that he does not plan to retreat from public appearances despite the repeated threats.
“The response time was really incredible, and we’re going to reschedule,” Trump said. “We’re going to do it again.”
“We’re not going to let anybody take over our society,” he added. “We’re not going to cancel things out because we can’t do that. We wanted to stay tonight.”
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Other thwarted plots and security scares
Beyond the three highest-profile cases, Trump has faced a broader pattern of violent threats and close calls dating back to his first campaign.
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In June 2016, Michael Steven Sandford, a British national, allegedly tried to grab a police officer’s gun at a Trump rally in Las Vegas and later told investigators he intended to kill Trump, according to court records and contemporaneous reporting.
In March 2016, Thomas Dimassimo rushed onto the stage at a Dayton, Ohio, rally before Secret Service agents tackled him.
And in November 2016, Trump was briefly rushed offstage in Reno, Nevada, after someone in the crowd shouted “gun,” though authorities later said the man detained was unarmed.
President Ronald Reagan waves to onlookers moments before an assassination attempt by John Hinckley Jr. on March 30, 1981, outside the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C. (The White House/Getty Images)
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Public reporting has also documented later threats not carried out at Trump’s immediate location, including a 2020 ricin letter case; a 2024 murder-for-hire plot tied to Iran; a 2017 North Dakota incident in which a man stole a forklift and aimed it toward the presidential motorcade; and a February 2026 confrontation at Mar-a-Lago in which Secret Service fatally shot a 21-year-old who was armed with a shotgun and gas canister while Trump was in Washington.
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