President Donald Trump was rushed out of the ballroom at the Washington Hilton, along with members of his Cabinet, after reports of shots fired in the lobby of the hotel Saturday night.
Trump and his Cabinet were in attendance for the White House Correspondents' Dinner, which was taking place tonight, when the sound of gunfire resulted in chaos in the room. Multiple reporters at the scene posted to social media that they were hiding under tables. The President, First Lady, and members of the Cabinet were rushed out by Secret Service during the chaos.
ZOOMED IN: Reports of shots fired at the White House Correspondents Dinner.
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) April 26, 2026
See the moment the Secret Service rushed President Donald Trump off of the stage.
CNN is reporting the shooter is dead. pic.twitter.com/SCt3W7cuI6
There were complaints raised about Trump's attendance at the event, with several journalists boycotting the event. There have not been, as of this time, any reports of threats prior to the dinner.
A President Who Has Faced Threats Before
If the President were the intended target in tonight's incident, it would not be the first time he was the target of political violence. He survived two confirmed assassination attempts during the 2024 presidential campaign.
Butler, Pennsylvania — July 13, 2024
Trump was shot and wounded in his upper right ear at an open-air campaign rally near Butler, Pennsylvania, when 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks fired eight rounds from an AR-15-style rifle from a nearby rooftop. Crooks killed rally attendee Corey Comperatore and critically wounded two others before law enforcement snipers shot and killed him. Trump ducked behind his lectern as shots rang out, then rose with his fist raised as agents rushed the stage, an image that circulated widely in the hours that followed.
A bipartisan House task force later concluded the attempt on Trump’s life was preventable, citing inadequate planning and coordination between the Secret Service and state and local law enforcement. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned on July 23 (the day after her congressional testimony) following bipartisan calls to step down.
West Palm Beach, Florida — September 15, 2024
Two months later, Ryan Wesley Routh set up a makeshift sniper’s nest in the shrubbery outside the fence line of Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, where Trump was playing a round of golf. A Secret Service agent conducting a sweep of the hole spotted Routh aiming a rifle from the shrubbery roughly 400 yards away and opened fire, causing Routh to drop his weapon and flee. Trump was never in Routh’s direct line of sight and was escorted off the course without injury.
Evidence presented at trial showed Routh had been scouting the golf course and Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence for weeks beforehand. He left behind a handwritten letter acknowledging the attempt and offering $150,000 to anyone who could “finish the job.” U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon sentenced Routh to life in prison on February 4, 2026, telling him in court that his “plot to kill was deliberate and evil” and that he was “not a peaceful man.”
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