A man armed with multiple weapons charged a security checkpoint at White House Correspondents’ Dinner Saturday evening before being “taken down” by agents of the American secret service, the president Donald Trump » said a few hours after being evacuated from the event.
One officer was shot, but he was “saved by the fact that he was obviously wearing a very good bulletproof vest,” Trump told reporters during a news 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 case 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 to President Donald Trump’s Truth Social account on April 25, 2026.
@realdonaldtrump | Social truth
Trump was rushed from the ballroom stage of Washington’s Hilton hotel 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 scheduled to speak for the first time as president, but that law enforcement asked him and other administration officials to leave the venue.
In front of the press, Trump, via his Truth Social account, apparently shared photos showing the alleged shooter after it has been mastered, as well as security footage of the incident.
First lady Melania Trump and all other members of his administration’s cabinet present “are in perfect condition,” the president wrote in another message after leaving the event.
He added: “I have spoken with all the representatives in charge of the event and we will postpone it within 30 days.”
At the White House, Trump praised the Secret Service and law enforcement for their quick action.
“This was a free speech event, meant to bring together members of both parties and members of the press,” Trump said. “And in a way, it’s true, because they just unified, I saw a room that was totally unified. It was, in a way, very beautiful.”
U.S. President Donald Trump is escorted as a gunman opens fire during the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington, DC, U.S., April 25, 2026, in this screenshot from a video.
Bo Erickson | Reuters
A source who attended the event and was briefed by the Secret Service after the shooting told CNBC’s Eamon Javers that a man with a shotgun 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 at the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, in Washington, DC, U.S., April 25, 2026.
Jonathan Ernst | Reuters
Key details of the incident remain unclear. Washington U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said at a separate news conference Saturday evening that the suspect would be arraigned Monday.
At the same conference, Washington DC Metropolitan Police Acting Chief Jeffery Carroll said authorities believed, based on preliminary information, that the suspect was a guest at the hotel.
“We booked a room here at the hotel,” Carroll said.
He also said the suspect was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and several knives.
At least five gunshots were heard around 8:35 p.m. Gunshots rang out from the back of the ballroom as attendees ate their first course, several minutes after White House Correspondents Association President Weija Jiang’s speech.
Trump, who was seated on a dais outside the ballroom next to the first lady, was quickly surrounded by members of the U.S. Secret Service, while many attendees hid under their tables.
Video of the event shows the president walking off stage seconds later, as armed guards wearing tactical gear and carrying large rifles appeared on the dais.
President Trump is evacuated from the scene by the Secret Service after numerous gunshots are heard during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, DC, April 25, 2026.
Many other senior Trump administration officials were at the event, including the vice president. J.D. VanceFBI Director Kash Patel, and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
When asked at the White House if he thought he was the suspect’s target, Trump replied: “I guess.” He said information about the alleged shooter’s motives would be released 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 at a July 2024 campaign rally in Pennsylvania. A few months later, a man attempted to assassinate Trump while he was playing golf at his course in West Palm Beach, Florida.
— CNBC Eamon Javers And Megan Cassella contributed to this report.
