The president of the United States, Donald Trump, assured that the shooter who tried to infiltrate the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner “was very far” from approaching him and stated that “he was a crazy person,” although he acknowledged that he could have gone through the doors of the room where he was.
The president explained at a press conference at the White House how he experienced the evacuation of the event, after a man was intercepted while trying to break through security armed with a long weapon.
“It could have been the sound of a tray or a bullet,” said Trump, accompanied by the first lady, Melania Trump; FBI Director Kash Patel and Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.
“He was very far away, he was in no way close to passing through the doors of the room. The room was sealed,” said the president, who indicated that the Secret Service acted professionally, while the FBI is investigating witnesses.
Trump claimed that the Secret Service acted “very quickly” and compared the response to the Butler, Pennsylvania, rally in July 2024, when he was shot and wounded by a sniper.
“They never told me that this was such a dangerous profession. If Marco (Rubio) had told me, maybe I would have gotten over this,” he joked.
The president noted that the attacker could be a “lone wolf” and reiterated that he acted alone.
“It doesn’t change the fact that this happened to me, it’s shocking. I was sitting with the first lady and I heard a noise; I thought it was a tray that had fallen. The noise was coming from afar and my area was not reached in any way,” he said.
Police evacuated the Washington Hilton hotel amid the chaos, while the president, Vice President JD Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson were rushed to safety.
An injured agent
Authorities confirmed that the suspect in the armed dinner break-in acted alone and that there is no lingering threat to the public following the incident, in which an officer was injured.
The acting chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, Jeff Carroll, explained that the suspect was carrying a shotgun, a pistol and multiple knives when trying to overcome a Secret Service checkpoint in the hotel lobby, at 8:36 p.m. (00:36 GMT).
“Right now, everything seems to indicate that this is a lone actor, a lone gunman,” he said.
Although shots were exchanged in the hotel hallways, the suspect was not hit. After being subdued, he was taken to a hospital for medical evaluation.
A Secret Service agent was hit by a bullet in his bulletproof vest, which prevented fatal injuries. According to Carroll, he is “in good spirits.”
The investigation is being carried out jointly by the Secret Service, the Metropolitan Police and the FBI, to determine the motives of the 31-year-old man who tried to violate the security of the event.
FBI analyzes evidence
FBI Director Kash Patel indicated that the attacker was carrying a long weapon and that the ballistic remains found at the scene are already being analyzed.
“We are examining all the ballistic remains found at the scene, including the long weapon and the shell casings. We are conducting interviews with witnesses,” he explained.
Patel asked anyone with information to come forward to the authorities and stated that the detainee’s background is being investigated.
Local media indicated that the suspect would be a 31-year-old man residing in Torrance, California, although there is no official confirmation.
Trump shared images of the detainee on his social network, in which he appears handcuffed on the hotel floor, as well as videos from security cameras where the man can be seen running while Secret Service agents respond to the attack.
During the incident, three or four gunshots were heard outside the ballroom where the dinner was being held. After the evacuation, Secret Service agents were deployed to the scene with long weapons and asked attendees to take shelter.
BREAKING: President Trump has shared footage of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting and a photo of the suspect. pic.twitter.com/3H1M7hwKbj
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) April 26, 2026
🚨 WOW! Even DEMOCRATS are calling on leftists to stop trying to KLL President Trump
Democrat Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez:
“Please stop trying to murder the president.”
Are you going to call this out too, @SenSchumer?! pic.twitter.com/diIJup0ENc
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) April 26, 2026
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