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President Trump and Vice President JD Vance were swiftly evacuated after witnesses reported hearing multiple gunshots, estimated between five and eight.
The Secret Service, along with other law enforcement agencies, quickly descended on the banquet hall, as hundreds of guests sought shelter under tables.
Amid the chaos, someone urgently shouted, “Out of the way, sir!” while others called for everyone to take cover.
Multiple Secret Service agents were heard exclaiming, “Shots fired.”
Footage from CNN captured loud noises similar to gunfire inside the dining area, followed by frantic screams as attendees rushed to find safety.
There are no immediate reports of injuries.
One individual is in custody, the Secret Service confirmed on X.
“The president and the first lady are safe,” the post read.
“The condition of those involved is not yet known, and law enforcement is actively assessing the situation.”
Members of the crowd reported hearing what they believed to be five to eights shots fired in the hotel.
Other members of Trump’s Cabinet who were also in attendance were also rushed out.
Trump released his first statement after he was evacuated from the ballroom, insisting he wishes to return to the dinner.
In a post to his Truth Social platform, Trump said Secret Service and police officers did a fantastic job on “quite an evening”.
“They acted quickly and bravely. The shooter has been apprehended, and I have recommended that we “LET THE SHOW GO ON” but, will entirely be guided by Law Enforcement,” he said.
“They will make a decision shortly. Regardless of that decision, the evening will be much different than planned, and we’ll just, plain, have to do it again.”
The security incident took place inside the hotel where Trump was attending dinner, but outside of the room where the president and other officials were attending the dinner, according to law enforcement officials, AP reports.
Veteran CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer gave a first-hand account from the lobby where the alleged shooter was taken down by police.
“I didn’t see all the details, but I did see the gunman on the ground after he started shooting,” Blitzer told CNN.
The dinner has now been cancelled.
Most attendees at the White House Correspondents Dinner are closed inside the ballroom and cannot leave.
The dinner was being held a block from the White House at the Washington Hilton Hotel.
Generally, the Hilton hotel, where the dinner has taken place for years, remains open to regular guests during the White House Correspondents Dinner.
Security has typically been focused on the ballroom — rather than the hotel at large — with little screening for people not entering the dinner itself.
In past years, that has created openings for disruptions in the lobby and other public spaces, including protests in which security moved to remove guests who unfurled banners or staged demonstrations.
Trump attended the high-profile dinner for the first time as president, after skipping the event last year and during his first term in office.
The correspondents dinner gathers politicians and journalists on the last Saturday in April to celebrate the First Amendment and the role of a free press.
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