Trump evacuated after gunman attacks White House Correspondents' Dinner.

United States President Donald Trump was evacuated from the White House correspondents' dinner in Washington, DC, following gunfire outside the venue. The annual media gala was held at the Washington Hilton hotel on Saturday evening. Shots rang out near the ballroom where the event was taking place. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were unharmed during the incident. Members of his Cabinet were also safe from the attack.

At a subsequent news conference, Trump explained that a man armed with multiple weapons had charged a security checkpoint. He stated the Secret Service agent took the suspect down quickly. The president described the individual as a "very sick person" and a "thug." Trump added that the attacker sought to assault the US Constitution.

One Secret Service officer was shot during the confrontation. However, he survived thanks to his bulletproof vest. Trump reported that the officer was "doing great." The president noted this was not the first time the republic faced a would-be assassin in recent years. He asked Americans to recommit to resolving differences peacefully in light of the events.

When asked if he believed he was the target, Trump replied, "I guess." The Secret Service confirmed the shooting occurred at a screening area. They stated one individual was now in custody. The agency said the condition of those involved was not yet known. Law enforcement was actively assessing the situation at the time.

Shortly before the press conference, Trump posted images on Truth Social. He showed photos of the suspect face down on the ground. A surveillance video clip also showed a man running past security personnel. The guards drew their guns and opened fire immediately.

Jeanine Ferris Pirro, the US attorney for the District of Columbia, outlined the charges. The suspect would face accusations for using a firearm during a crime. He also faced charges for assaulting federal officers with a dangerous weapon. FBI Director Kash Patel said officers began examining the suspect's background. Patel urged the public to come forward with any relevant information. He stated, "No piece of information is too small; no piece of information is inadequate. We will evaluate it all."

Multiple US media outlets identified the suspect as Cole Tomas Allen. He is 31 years old and lives in Torrance, California. Trump had been scheduled to speak at the press freedom celebration for the first time as president. He is a ferocious critic of journalists who has sued multiple media outlets previously.

Footage from the dinner showed attendees taking cover behind their tables. Shots rang out as people yelled "Get down!" and "Stay down!" Trump was then rushed from the scene. He was escorted away by heavily armed members of his security detail who swarmed the table. Al Jazeera producer Chris Sheridan heard what he believed were five gunshots outside the ballroom. He said, "We could smell the powder. We immediately dove to the ground.

It was directly behind me," Sheridan stated. He could not estimate the exact distance, but the shooter stood behind the entrance doors to the ballroom. While airport-level security guarded the ballroom itself, ticket holders could enter the hotel and descend to the lower level. "You could have gotten down to the lower level, the ballroom level, and been outside," Sheridan explained. World leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, condemned the attack. They expressed relief that President Trump remained unharmed. "Violence has no place in a democracy and must be unequivocally condemned," Modi wrote on X. Trump has faced multiple assassination attempts throughout his career. Thomas Crooks fired eight shots at Trump during a campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania. The attacker killed one bystander and wounded Trump's right ear before Secret Service agents shot him dead. "Today, we need levels of security that probably nobody has ever seen before," Trump said at Saturday's news conference. He pledged to reschedule the press dinner. "We're not going to cancel things out, because we can't do that," Trump declared. "We wanted to stay tonight. I will tell you, I fought like hell to stay… But it was protocol. They said, 'Please, sir.