President Donald Trump held a press conference at the White House about one hour after he and first lady Melania Trump were evacuated following gunshots breaking out at the White House Correspondents Dinner, held at the Washington Hilton.
“That was unexpected,” Trump began from the White House Briefing Room, praising what he called the swift work of Secret Service and law enforcement at “an event dedicated to freedom of speech that was supposed to bring together members of both parties with members of the press.”
He described the chaotic scene and credited law enforcement for their swift response.
While Trump spoke at the podium, a picture of the suspect from his official Truth Social account appeared, showing the gunman on the ground, facedown.
He touted the guests in attendance, describing it as a “record-setting crowd,” and framed the response to the attack as a rare moment of political unity.
“And in a certain way, it did, because the fact that they just unified,” Trump said. “I saw a room that was just totally unified. It was, in one way, very beautiful, a very beautiful thing to see a man charge a security checkpoint armed with multiple weapons. He was taken down by some very brave members of the Secret Service, and they acted very quickly.”
The president said he had ordered footage of the incident released on Truth Social and other platforms “for purposes of transparency, clarity,” promising the tape would show “how quickly Secret Service and law enforcement acted on our country’s behalf.”
Trump confirmed reports that one officer was shot during the attack but survived due to his protective gear.
“He was shot from very close distance with a very powerful gun, and the vest did the job,” the president told reporters. “I just spoke to the officer, and he’s doing great. He’s in very high spirits, and we told him we love him and respect him, and he’s a very proud guy.”
Trump used the moment to revisit his long-standing push to construct a new ballroom at the White House, arguing the Hilton “is not a particularly secure building.”
“This is why we have to have all of the attributes of what we’re planning at the White House,” Trump said. “It’s actually a larger room, and it’s much more secure. It’s drone-proof, it’s bulletproof glass. That’s why the Secret Service, that’s why the military is demanding it. They wanted the ballroom for 150 years for lots of different reasons. But today is a little bit different, because today we need levels of security that probably nobody’s ever seen before.”
The president linked Saturday night’s incident to his two prior assassination attempts against him during the 2024 campaign.
“This is not the first time in the past couple of years that our republic has been attacked by a would-be assassin who sought to kill in Butler, Pennsylvania, less than two years ago.” Trump also cited the September 2024 incident at his Palm Beach, Florida, golf club. “We had some great work done by law enforcement.”
“It’s a dangerous profession,” Trump said. “I can’t imagine that there’s any profession that’s more dangerous, but I love the country.”
After Trump spoke, he passed the microphone to Todd Blanche, the acting U.S. attorney general, and Kash Patel, the FBI director.
“The man has been captured,” Trump said before stepping aside. “They’re going to his apartment. I guess he lives in California, and he’s a sick person, very sick person. And we don’t want things like this to happen.”
The president also vowed the dinner would be rescheduled within 30 days. In addition, he thanked the media, an unusual stance for a president who has spent much of his presidency escalating attacks on the press.
“Supposed to bring together members of both parties with members of the press. And in a certain way, it did, because of the fact that they just unified. I saw a room that was just totally unified,” Trump said from the podium. “It was, in one way, very beautiful, a very beautiful thing to see a man charge a security checkpoint armed with multiple weapons, and he was taken down by some very brave members of Secret Service, and they acted very quickly.”
Trump also showed gratitude to the media, a rare showing of praise. “They’ve been very responsible in your coverage.”
The suspected gunman was apprehended, the FBI said in a statement.
“My impression is he was a lone wolf; a crazy person.”
Shortly after 9 p.m. ET, Weijia Jiang, president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, told the crowd the program would continue despite the commotion and Trump’s swift departure. However, by 9:20 p.m. ET, it became clear security was clearing the ballroom, indicating the event had been formally scrapped.
The situation prompted immediate on-the-ground reporting from journalists across the media spectrum, many of whom took to social media to deliver urgent updates. Among the administration officials in attendance were Vice President JD Vance; White House deputy chief of policy Stephen Miller; White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt; Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth; Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard; and Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk.
Trump has had a contentious relationship with mainstream journalists since his political rise began in 2015. Since returning to the White House, his administration has aggressively challenged journalistic norms, and the president has continued attacking the integrity and competence of major news organizations. Trump has also engaged in litigation against ABC News, CBS News, The Wall Street Journal, and others.
