Highlights
- Gunman Cole Tomas Allen, 31, opened fire at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner Saturday night
- Trump and Vance were swiftly evacuated; one Secret Service agent was shot but expected to recover
- Allen, armed with a shotgun, handgun, and knives, allegedly targeted Trump administration officials
What was meant to be a historic evening of pomp and press pageantry turned into a scene of chaos and terror Saturday night when gunshots rang out at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner at the Washington Hilton hotel, sending President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and a roomful of Washington’s most powerful figures scrambling for safety.
Trump, Vance, and several administration officials and members of Congress were evacuated from the room after shots rang out at the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.
Attendees heard what sounded like three to four gunshots around 8:30 p.m., fired near a back stairwell opposite the stage where the president was seated. The president was evacuated within seconds, and gunpowder could be smelled near the back of the room.
Several U.S. Secret Service agents yelled “shots fired” at the dinner, according to reports. One agent announced that a shooter was in custody over the radio.
It was a night unlike any the storied media dinner had seen in its century-long history — and one that unfolded on live television in real time.
CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer, who had stepped away from the ballroom to use the restroom, found himself just feet from the gunman. “I walked out to simply go to the men’s room, but you have to walk up these stairs and walk out, which I was doing,” Blitzer recounted. “And as I was walking back toward the door, to get back into the big area where the event was taking place, all of a sudden, I start hearing gunshots in the hall right near me. And the next thing I knew, a police officer threw me to the ground and was on top of me.”
Blitzer described seeing the assailant “clearly on the ground shooting” before officers rushed him to safety. “And then they grabbed me, the police officers, and they take me back into the men’s room, where it was safe, and there were about 15 other men who are stuck in there, and they won’t let them out,” he said.
Inside the ballroom, the scene was equally terrifying. NewsNation’s Kellie Meyer described the moment chaos broke out: “We were waiting for the dinner to kind of kick off and that’s when we heard this ‘pow pow pow’ noise. Everyone just immediately went under the table and the chairs push out and everything on the table spilled over and everybody was under the table in this room.”
CNN’s Jake Tapper, who was inside the ballroom, said he witnessed Secret Service agents running down an aisle. “People were jumping under tables and people were very upset and worried,” he said.
Trump and Melania were hustled off the stage within seconds of the first shots. Vance and several members of Trump’s Cabinet, who were also in attendance, were also rushed out. However, J.D. Vance was removed from the dinner before the President was evacuated, which seems quite odd.
Secret Service literally drags VP Vance from the venue after gunfire erupts at White House Correspondents’ Dinner pic.twitter.com/gWvcp5DIX2
— Rapid Report (@RapidReport2025) April 26, 2026Among those escorted out by security were Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz, FBI Director Kash Patel, and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise.
The suspect — identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, a California native — was armed with a shotgun, a handgun, and multiple knives and “exchanged fire” with law enforcement officers when he was intercepted and taken into custody, interim Washington, D.C., Police Chief Jeffery Carroll told reporters.
A law enforcement source told CBS News at least six shots were fired before the gunman was neutralized. The gunman was apparently in the hallway by the metal detectors just outside the ballroom.
Secret Service Deputy Director Matthew Quinn posted a statement: “Tonight, a coward attempted to create a national tragedy. He underestimated the protective capabilities of the U.S. Secret Service and was stopped at first contact.”
A Secret Service agent who was shot was wearing a ballistic vest. USSS Chief of Communications Anthony Guglielmi said the vest “helped us avoid a potential tragedy.” The agent was released from the hospital.
Cole Allen told law enforcement following his arrest that he wanted to shoot Trump administration officials, two sources told CBS News. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told NBC News that a motive is still under investigation, but “preliminary” findings indicate the suspect was targeting administration officials.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said the suspect is being charged with using a firearm during a crime of violence and with assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon. She added that he is likely to face “many more charges.” “It is clear, based upon what we know so far, that this individual was intent on doing as much harm and as much damage as he could,” Pirro said.
Allen’s shotgun was purchased in August 2025, according to two law enforcement sources. He also owned a semiautomatic pistol, purchased in 2023. Both firearms were purchased legally, a law enforcement official said, and the suspect was not on law enforcement’s radar before the shooting.
Trump returned to the White House and held a news conference, praising officers for their response and telling Americans, “We have to resolve our differences.” When asked if he thought he was the intended target, Trump replied, “I guess. These people are crazy.”
Trump also called the Washington Hilton “not a particularly secure building” and said the incident emphasizes the need for the White House ballroom he is having built on the grounds.
Republican Rep. Mike Lawler called the security at the event “woefully insufficient when you’re talking about that many people getting into a room of that size.”
Dinner was never actually served during the evening. Waiters were starting to pick up salad plates when the ballroom was locked down. When the event was called off, organizers of the after-parties decided to open their doors early, knowing the vibe would be different but the gathering places would be valuable for shaken attendees.
Allen is expected to be arraigned in federal court on Monday, with prosecutors signaling the charges are only the beginning.
MORE POP CULTURE HEADLINES
