On the night of April 26, 2026, a violent security breach disrupted the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner at a Washington, D.C. hotel, forcing an emergency evacuation of U.S. President Donald Trump and other senior officials in attendance.
According to official law enforcement briefings, the armed suspect pushed past a Secret Service checkpoint stationed in the hotel’s main lobby, entering the venue with a cache of weapons including a shotgun, a handgun, and multiple edged weapons. Responding Secret Service officers immediately engaged the intruder, triggering a physical confrontation that ended with the suspect being tackled and taken into custody.
Washington, D.C. Police Chief Jeffery Carroll confirmed that officers exchanged gunfire with the suspect during the confrontation, but the intruder emerged unwounded before being subdued. “They successfully tackled him to the ground and secured him with handcuffs before any additional harm could be done,” Carroll stated in a press update following the incident.
The attack left one Secret Service agent injured, who was quickly transported to a local medical facility for treatment. As of the latest update, there have been no reports of additional casualties among attendees, staff, or law enforcement personnel.
Trump first addressed the unfolding incident via his Truth Social platform, where he commended law enforcement officers for their rapid, courageous response to the breach and initially suggested the dinner could proceed as planned. In a subsequent post, however, the president clarified that security officials had requested he and other attendees evacuate the hotel property, and announced that the high-profile annual event would be rescheduled within a 30-day window.