Just minutes into the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, as President Donald Trump spoke with Oz Pearlman, the celebrity mentalist serving as entertainment for the evening, Secret Service stormed the stage. As the hundreds assembled in the room ducked beneath their tables, Trump and those on the dais were quickly removed.
According to the White House press pool, “several loud bangs” were heard before Secret Service agents pushed the pool back and screamed, “Shots fired.” Shortly thereafter, FBI Director Kash Patel was spotted “walking briskly past the pool.”
The incident came just moments after “Hail to the Chief” played to announce the arrival of Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, who entered and greeted those assembled on the dais. There was White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, Vice President JD Vance, plus the heads of the White House Correspondents’ Association: Weijia Jiang of CBS News, Jacqui Heinrich of Fox News, and Justin Sink of Bloomberg.
“USA!” a man started chanting after the president was removed from the building. Some in the ballroom, still full of attendees, began filming the room.
In a post to Truth Social published at 9:17, Trump wrote “The shooter has been apprehended,” and saying “Secret Service and Law Enforcement did a fantastic job.”
“I have recommended that we “LET THE SHOW GO ON” but, will entirely be guided by Law Enforcement,” Trump continued.
