U.S. President Donald Trump was evacuated Saturday night from the White House Correspondents’ Dinner after shots were heard and a suspected gunman was arrested, according to security officials and AFP journalists.
Several hundred people were attending the annual event at a large hotel in Washington.
The entire room was evacuated, AFP journalists reported, while members of the U.S. government—from Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth to Secretary of State Marco Rubio—were also reportedly evacuated. There was widespread confusion about the exact circumstances of the incident, which occurred during the dinner attended, for the first time as president, by Donald Trump.
One attendee, Dr. Oz, stated that “shots were fired,” according to reports from the scene.
Police surrounded the area, and helicopters were seen flying over the downtown area of the capital.
The White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) organizes this major political and media event.
Since returning to power, the U.S. president has repeatedly attacked the press, both verbally and in court, while the influence of his allies over the media landscape has expanded, notably with the acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) by its competitor Paramount Skydance, controlled by Trump allies, the Ellison family.
The billionaire, unlike all his predecessors since the 1920s, had always avoided attending the dinner as president.
This dinner, attended each year by hundreds of journalists, media executives, and guests from the political and economic spheres, is held in late April and raises funds for scholarships and awards.
