US President Donald Trump was hurriedly evacuated from the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) dinner at the Washington Hilton hotel on Saturday night after shots rang out outside the banquet hall shortly before he was to deliver his speech.
Incident Details
The US Secret Service stated that it is investigating a shooting incident near the main magnetometer screening area in the hotel. This is the same hotel where John Hinckley Jr. attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan in 1981. One individual has been taken into custody. While some eyewitness reports indicated that one suspect was shot during the melee, the Secret Service said the condition of those involved is not yet known and law enforcement is actively assessing the situation, suggesting there may be others involved.
Safety of Dignitaries
The Secret Service confirmed that President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump are safe, as are all other protectees, including Vice President J.D. Vance and several cabinet members who were present at the event.
The WHCA dinner is an annual roast and toast that Trump had avoided since becoming president, ostensibly because he believes most of the media is hostile to him. However, he made an exception this year, planning to deliver the keynote himself, with a mentalist providing entertainment, instead of a well-known comedian or late-night host.
Evacuation
About half an hour into the evening, as dinner was about to be served, several popping sounds were heard outside the banquet hall while Trump and the first lady were seated on stage. Secret Service agents rushed through the aisles yelling for everyone to get down, while other agents surrounded the president and first lady and rushed them out. Security details assigned to various cabinet members also escorted them from the venue.
President's Response
Approximately half an hour after the incident, President Trump, still at the hotel, expressed a desire to continue the event but said he would defer to law enforcement advice. If they insisted on curtailing the event, he said he would like to do it again. Most guests remained, anticipating Trump's return, after WHCA President and CBS White House reporter Weijia Jiang announced that the event would continue. Trump apparently wanted to return but was advised by security not to, as he indicated in a social media post shortly thereafter.
In his post, Trump said: 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. Following this, the event was concluded without dinner.
Reactions
Trump's message earned praise from many supporters, who portrayed the incident as a third assassination attempt on him and commended his courage in wanting to return to deliver his speech. Some supporters blamed the radical left for the purported assassination attempt, even as initial sketchy details emerged.
