Last Updated on April 25, 2026 11:08 pm
WASHINGTON — A gunman opened fire at the White House Correspondents' Dinner at the Washington Hilton on Saturday night, prompting Secret Service to evacuate President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and members of the Cabinet from the ballroom. The suspect is in custody, and no guests were killed or seriously injured.
The shooting occurred at approximately 8:40 p.m. Eastern near the main security screening area of the hotel, as dinner was being served and before Trump had addressed the approximately 2,600 guests gathered for the annual event. Secret Service agents were heard shouting “shots fired” inside the venue, according to pool reports. Many attendees immediately took cover under their tables.
One Secret Service agent was struck by a bullet at close range but was protected by a bulletproof vest and is expected to recover. Speaking at a press conference at the White House shortly after midnight, Trump said he had spoken with the injured agent. “He has very high spirits, and we told him we love him and respect him,” Trump said. “He's a very proud guy.”
Trump said the suspect “charged from 50 yards away” and was “taken down by some very brave members of Secret Service, and they acted very quickly.” The president said the gunman had been armed with multiple weapons. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told reporters that charges are expected to be filed soon.
CNN's Wolf Blitzer, who was outside the main ballroom when the shooting began, said he was only a few feet away from the gunman. “All the sudden a guy with a weapon — it was a very, very serious weapon — starts shooting,” Blitzer said on air. Blitzer said he was ushered to safety in a nearby restroom by officers.
According to multiple law enforcement officials cited by CNN, the suspect has been identified as a 31-year-old man from Torrance, California. Law enforcement sources and multiple outlets have identified him as Cole Tomas Allen. No formal charges had been publicly filed as of early Sunday morning, and no motive has been confirmed by officials.
Reports indicate Allen assembled a weapon in an unsecured area of the hotel before approaching the magnetometer screening checkpoint near the ballroom entrance. Sources told Fox News the individual never made it inside the ballroom itself. President Trump subsequently posted video of the suspect on Truth Social.
The White House Correspondents' Association, which had initially hoped to resume the dinner following the incident, ultimately canceled the evening at the request of law enforcement. WHCA president Weijia Jiang told the crowd the event would be rescheduled. Trump later confirmed on Truth Social that the dinner will be rescheduled within 30 days.
At his press conference, Trump also used the incident to make the case for a 90,000-square-foot ballroom currently under construction at the White House. “It's actually a larger room, and it's much more secure,” Trump said. “It's got drone proof. It's bulletproof glass. We need the ballroom.”
Trump praised the response of Secret Service and law enforcement throughout the evening. “This was an event dedicated to the freedom of speech that was supposed to bring together members of both parties with members of the press,” Trump said, “and in a certain way, it did. I saw a room that was just totally unified.”
This was Trump's first attendance at the White House Correspondents' Dinner as a sitting president. The investigation is ongoing.
