Trump rushed off stage amid White House Correspondents' Dinner shooting, guests take cover

The FBI and other law enforcement agencies responded to a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner that spurred President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump to be evacuated minutes after the vent began.

USA TODAY reporters inside the ballroom at the Washington Hilton hotel say they heard loud bangs that sounded like gunshots and chants of “USA.” Members of the press in attendance dropped to the floor.

Trump was attending the dinner for the first time in more than a decade – and his first time ever as president – on Saturday, April 25. He has repeatedly skipped the annual event, which brings together Washington’s most powerful and the reporters who cover them.

Live coverage: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/04/25/white-house-correspondents-dinner-trump-updates–live/89731543007/