President Trump said “let the show go on,” but listened to the Secret Service who abruptly whisked him away from the White House Correspondents Dinner in Washington after a shooter fired off half a dozen rounds outside the ballroom.
The shooter is in custody, according to the Secret Service.
The president planned to give a statement at the White House after the Washington press corps annual dinner was canceled.
Mr. Trump hoped the dinner at the Washington Hilton could resume with him in attendance if the Secret Service gave the OK, he said.
“Quite an evening in D.C.,” Mr. Trump posted on his social media website, presumably from an area inside the hotel, according to reporters on the scene who say he’s still there.
“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. President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
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Earlier, Mr. Trump and Cabinet members were rushed off stage at the Washington Hilton and evacuated to another area of the hotel while the Secret Service took down the shooter and whipped out long guns from the ballroom stage.
Shocked guests ducked under tables and soon fled the ballroom after hearing a succession of shots. Some smelled gunsmoke.
The shooting marks the third attempt on Mr. Trump’s life since July 2024, when a would-be assassin fired shots at him while he campaigned on a stage in Butler, Pennsylvania. A second failed assassination attempt took place in September 2024 on his West Palm Beach golf course. The attempted assassin in that incident was stopped by the Secret Service and is now serving a life sentence.
On Saturday, Mr. Trump said he’d like to go back to the dinner, even as ambulances rushed to the hotel and police, Secret Service and other security swarmed hallways and meeting rooms, looking for other threats.
SEE ALSO: Shots fired at White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Trump rushed from the stage
The shooter has not been identified. Pictures on social media show a man face down with his hands cuffed behind his back at the top of a staircase near the ballroom.
The Secret Service said in a statement that it is “investigating a shooting incident” that took place near the magnetometer screening area at the dinner. One person is in custody, and “the condition of those involved is not yet known.”
Law enforcement, the statement said, “is actively assessing the situation.”
Mr. Trump said another dinner would be scheduled within 30 days.
• Susan Ferrechio can be reached at sferrechio@washingtontimes.com.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.
• John T. Seward can be reached at jseward@washingtontimes.com.
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