President Donald Trump was evacuated from a gala dinner with news media on Saturday as an apparent shooting at the venue sent Cabinet members ducking under tables and turned the Washington Hilton into a massive crime scene.
A statement from the FBI said a subject was in custody. It was not immediately clear who fired shots and at whom.
Trump, first lady Melania Trump and other attendees were safe after the Secret Service confirmed the “shooting incident” occurred at the Washington hotel hosting the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner Saturday night.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said law enforcement asked him to leave the event. Trump said he would give a press conference later Saturday evening from the White House and said the event would soon be rescheduled.
Trump and other administration officials were ushered out of the dinner as guests were forced to duck due to the threat.
A statement from the FBI said a subject was in custody. Law enforcement is “actively assessing the situation,” the Secret Service said in a statement.
A POLITICO reporter at the dinner said they heard several loud bangs while seated at their table. They then saw Secret Service agents rush the stage to secure the president and were told to duck under their table.
The president was joined at the event by a host of White House officials, including Vice President JD Vance, deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
“Everyone started ducking,” FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, who was in attendance at the event, told POLITICO.
“They did kind of a Butler [Pennsylvania] job on him. They shielded him and escorted him out,” Makary added, speaking of the president.
Makary, a former surgical oncologist, said that he was on the lookout for anyone injured.
“Sick people out there in this world,” he said.
Megan Messerly, Meredith Lee Hill and Aaron Pellish contributed to this report.