Is the White House Correspondents' Dinner shooter who fired shots in the hotel lobby during Trump’s presence dead?

White House Correspondents' Dinner Shooting: A gunman fired multiple shots in the lobby of the hotel where the White House Correspondents' ‌Association ⁠dinner was being held on Saturday night (April 25, 2026), as President Donald Trump and many high level members of the Administration were sitting front and center.

Trump and first lady Melania Trump were rushed out ⁠by Secret Service agents after a loud, unidentified noise, news agency Reuters reported. Other Trump administration officials attending the dinner were also evacuated after a ⁠loud commotion ‌and noise near the hotel ballroom where the ⁠dinner was being held.

Initially, there were multiple conflicting reports circulating about whether the gunman was killed or subdued and taken into custody, with no confirmation that the shooter was killed. Later, Trump shared a post on social media platform Truth Social saying that the “shooter has been apprehended.”


“Quite an evening in D.C. Secret Service and Law Enforcement did a fantastic job. 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. 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…, he said in the post.

The room was packed with members of the Administration, including President Trump, the First Lady, the Vice President, the Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of the Treasury, and Secretary of Homeland Security, among others.

Members of the media and others sheltered under dinner tables as everyone rushed to learn what had happened. A video of the shooting surfaced on social media, where many of the 2,600 attendees were seen rushing to take cover while waiters fled to the front of the dining hall.

Shortly before being escorted off the ‌stage by security, Melania Trump appeared to react to something in ⁠the crowd and had a concerned look on her face, Reuters reported, citing a live feed from CSPAN.