Update 5: Here’s raw video of the breach:
Update 4: The suspected shooter at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner has been identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California.
WHCD Shooter Identified as Cole Allen, a 30-Year-Old Former ‘Teacher of the Month’ from California
Update 3: Possible video of shooter:
Update 2: CNN’s Wolf Blitzer was near shooter, said it was a “very serious weapon”
Update 1: President Trump drops a statement ahead of press conference.
Original Story: (Zero Hedge)—Shots were fired during the 2026 White House Correspondents’ Dinner (WHCD) at the Washington Hilton ballroom on Saturday evening, prompting the immediate evacuation of President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President, and other high-profile attendees by Secret Service. Guests were ordered to take cover under tables as heavily armed agents secured the venue.
According to Deadline’s on-site reporter Ted Johnson, who was present in the ballroom near the area of the incident: “I heard what sounded like four shots, and it seemed to come from the hall just outside the ballroom near my table.”
Key details from initial reporting:
- President Trump and dignitaries—including the First Lady, Vice President, WHCA President Weijia Jiang, and entertainer/mentalist Oz Pearlman—were quickly hustled out of the ballroom.
- Secret Service agents jumped onto the stage amid the chaos.
- Education Secretary Linda McMahon’s security detail told CNN live that there was a shooter in the lobby and that the shooter is dead.
- A separate White House Pool Report from Jeff Mordock of the Washington Times stated that Secret Service indicated the alleged shooter is in custody.
Real-time social media reports and eyewitness accounts align with the Deadline reporting: attendees described loud noises (consistent with gunfire), panic, people ducking, the room being placed on lockdown, and police/Secret Service sweeping the hotel. Trump and the First Lady were reported safe after a rapid evacuation shortly after arriving at the event. No injuries to attendees or dignitaries have been confirmed in initial accounts.
This was President Trump’s first appearance at the WHCD as sitting president (he had boycotted the event during his first term). The dinner is an annual black-tie affair organized by the White House Correspondents’ Association that traditionally features journalists, politicians, and celebrity guests.
This is a fluid, breaking situation. Updates will be available from official White House, Secret Service, and law enforcement sources as more information emerges. No further details on casualties or arrests beyond the shooter reports have been confirmed at this time.
