Trump says suspect was armed with multiple weapons at White House correspondents’ dinner

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is addressing reporters at the White House after he and other top U.S. leaders were evacuated from the annual White House correspondents’ dinner Saturday night following a shooting outside the ballroom.

Trump said the suspect was armed with multiple weapons before being stopped by the Secret Service. A police officer was shot but was protected by a bulletproof vest.

“He was shot at very close range with a very powerful weapon, and the vest did its job,” Trump said.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Below is AP’s earlier story.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump He escaped unharmed and other top U.S. leaders were evacuated from the annual White House correspondents’ dinner on Saturday night after a shooting outside the ballroom.

A law enforcement official said a gunman opened fire. An officer wearing a bullet-resistant vest was shot but is expected to be OK, a police officer told The Associated Press.

The FBI said a suspect was in custody but did not provide further details.

Secret Service and other officials filled the banquet hall at the Washington Hilton as hundreds of guests sheltered under tables. Loud breathing echoed throughout the ballroom as the guests realized something was happening. Hundreds of journalists called the phones to provide information.

“Get out of the way, sir!” someone shouted. Others shouted to bow. As the president was led offstage, chants of “God Bless America” ​​began to rise from a corner. He fell briefly, apparently tripping, and was helped by Secret Service agents. Outside the hotel, National Guard and other officials flooded the area as helicopters circled overhead.

The incident occurred outside the underground ballroom where Trump and other guests were seated, authorities said. After an initial attempt to continue, the event has been canceled for the night and will be rescheduled.

“We’ll do it again,” said Weijia Jiang, president of the White House Correspondents’ Association. Shortly thereafter, staff began destroying table arrangements and the presidential podium.

All officials protected by the Secret Service were evacuated. Those in attendance included Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as well as many other leaders of the Trump administration.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said he and his wife, Kelly, who attended the event, were “praying for our country tonight.” “The violence and chaos in America must end,” said New York Representative Hakeem Jeffries, the House Democratic leader.

There are reports of shots fired

Some in the crowd reported hearing what they believed to be five to eight shots being fired. The banquet hall, where hundreds of prominent journalists, celebrities and national leaders were awaiting Trump’s remarks, was immediately evacuated. The National Guard took up positions inside the building because people were allowed to exit the building but were not immediately allowed to re-enter. Security outside was also extremely tight.

Republican Rep. Mike Lawler of New York, who attended the dinner, said he heard an explosion and said, “We didn’t know what it was. And then you heard all kinds of crashing.” Lawler said he “frequently receives death threats” and added, “I think we live in an environment where everyone acknowledges that this is a problem, but I don’t think people fully appreciate how much of a problem it actually is.”

The incident initially appeared destined to continue following disorder. Servers refolded napkins and refilled water glasses in preparation for Trump’s return. Another employee prepared his teleprompter for the president’s planned remarks.

The Hilton hotel, where the dinner has been hosted for years, generally remains open to regular guests during the reporters’ dinner, and security generally focuses on the ballroom rather than the hotel, with little screening of people not entering the dinner. In recent years, this has led to disruptions in the lobby and other public spaces, including protests where security moved to remove guests who were holding banners or demonstrating.

The event was about to happen

Trump’s participation At his annual dinner in Washington on Saturday, he is publicly showcasing his administration’s often contentious relationship with the press for the first time as president.

Trump arrived at a dinner where the leaders of a nation at war met with celebrities, journalists and even a puppet (Triumph the Insult Comic Dog), which typically sparked debate about whether the relationship between journalists and their sources should include socializing together and setting aside sometimes adversarial relationships.

Trump was being followed closely at the event organized by the reporters organization that follows him and his administration. Past presidents who attended the meeting spoke generally about the importance of free speech and the First Amendment, and added mild criticism of individual journalists.

The Republican president did not attend the meeting during either his first term or the first year of his second term. He came as a guest in 2011 and sat in the audience as Democratic President Barack Obama cracked some jokes about the New York real estate developer. Trump also joined as a private citizen in 2015.

Trump entered the Washington Hilton banquet hall to the strains of “Hail to the Chief” and greeted leading journalists at the podium, also pausing to praise White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt with a cheerful finger gesture.

Past dinners have also featured comedians mocking presidents. This year the group chose to hire mentalist Oz Pearlman as the featured entertainer.

A controversial relationship

Between upbraiding Individual reporters, struggle organizations, etc. New York Times, Wall StreetJournal And Associated Press in court and Restricting press access to the PentagonThe administration’s hostility toward journalists has been a fixture of Trump’s second term.

On the eve of the dinner, nearly 500 retired journalists signed a petition calling on the association to “express strong opposition to President Trump’s efforts to trample press freedom.”

Jiang said the organization fights for all different types of press for the American people. “I don’t think people realize how closely we work with the White House,” he told C-SPAN before gathering for dinner. “The relationship is important. It can be complicated. It can be intense. But it is solid.”

Welcoming guests, Jiang addressed the contentious relationship by thanking Leavitt “for everything your team does every day to work with us, whether you like it or not.”

As veteran CNN reporter Manu Raju walked into the Washington Hilton for dinner, he said it wasn’t his place to express his opinion on Trump’s relationship with the press. “I am not an activist,” he said. “It’s not my job to protest.”

Several dozen protesters stood across from the hotel on the way to the event. One of them was dressed in a prison uniform, wearing a Hegseth mask and red gloves. Another held a sign reading “Journalism is dead.”

___

AP journalists Michael Balsamo, Zeke Miller and Anna Johnson contributed to this report. follow him http://x.com/dbauder And https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social.