A man armed with multiple weapons charged a security checkpoint at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday night before being “taken down” by U.S. Secret Service agents, President Donald Trump said hours after he was evacuated from the event.
One officer was shot, but he was “saved by the fact that he was wearing obviously a very good bulletproof vest,” Trump told reporters during a press conference in the White House briefing room.
“I just spoke to the officer, and he’s doing great,” Trump said.
The suspected shooter was identified later Saturday as Cole Allen of Torrance, California, a former senior law enforcement official briefed on the matter told MS NOW. The suspect is 31 years old, the Associated Press reported, citing two law enforcement officials.
Photo of the suspect in the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting posted on President Donald Trump’s Truth Social account on April 25th, 2026.
@realdonaldtrump | Truth Social
Trump was rushed off the stage of the Washington Hilton hotel ballroom seconds after the sounds of gunfire sent attendees diving under their tables.
He said he “fought like hell” to stay at the dinner, where he was set to speak for the first time as president, but that law enforcement had asked him and other administration officials to leave the premises.
Before the presser, Trump, via his Truth Social account, shared pictures apparently showing the alleged shooter after he was subdued, as well as security footage of the incident.
First lady Melania Trump and all other Cabinet members in his administration who were attending “are in perfect condition,” the president wrote in a separate post after leaving the event.
He added, “I have spoken with all the representatives in charge of the event, and we will be rescheduling within 30 days.”
At the White House, Trump praised the Secret Service and law enforcement for their quick action.
“This was an event dedicated to freedom of speech that was supposed to bring together members of both parties with members of the press,” Trump said. “And in a certain way, it did, because the fact that they just unified, I saw a room that was just totally unified. It was, in one way, very beautiful.”
U.S. President Donald Trump is escorted out as a shooter opens fire during the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 25, 2026, in this screen capture from video.
Bo Erickson | Reuters
A source who was attending the event, and was briefed by Secret Service after the shooting, told CNBC’s Eamon Javers that a man with a shotgun had approached metal detectors and was shot by Secret Service agents.
He was then taken away in handcuffs, the source said.
U.S. President Donald Trump holds a press briefing at the White House, following a shooting incident during the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 25, 2026
Jonathan Ernst | Reuters
Key details about the incident remain unclear. U.S. Attorney for Washington Jeanine Pirro said at a separate press conference later Saturday night that the suspect will be arraigned on Monday.
At the same conference, Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll said authorities believe, based on preliminary information, that the suspect was a guest at the hotel.
“We have secured a room here at the hotel,” Carroll said.
He also said the suspect was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives.
At least five shots were heard around 8:35 p.m. The shots rang out from the back of the ballroom as attendees were eating their first course, several minutes after White House Correspondents’ Association President Weija Jiang delivered remarks.
Trump, who was seated on a stage at the front of the ballroom next to the first lady, was quickly surrounded by U.S. Secret Service members, while many attendees ducked under their tables.
Video of the event shows the president being ushered off the stage a few seconds later, as armed guards wearing tactical gear and large rifles appeared on the dais.
President Trump is evacuated off stage by Secret Service after multiply gunshots were heard at the White House Correspondents Dinner in Washington, D.C. on April 25th, 2026.
Numerous other top Trump administration officials were at the event, including Vice President JD Vance, FBI Director Kash Patel and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
Asked at the White House if he believed he was the suspect’s target, Trump said, “I guess.” He said that information about the alleged shooter’s motivations will come out in the coming days.
“You know he’s in custody, and they’re asking him a lot of questions,” Trump said.
Trump survived an assassination attempt during a July 2024 campaign rally in Pennsylvania. A few months later, a man tried to assassinate Trump while he was golfing at his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida.
— CNBC’s Eamon Javers and Megan Cassella contributed to this report.