Trump Leaves White House Correspondents’ Association Event

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were evacuated from their tables at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner Saturday night, where gunfire was heard.

POLITICO reports that President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were sitting at a table inside a ballroom at the Washington Hilton on Saturday (April 25). As captured in several camera images, the scene in which the president and his wife were whisked away to safety was frantic.

Though initial reports claimed that the gunman was dead, new information confirms that he was taken into custody.

Security footage from the hotel shows a man now identified as Cole Allen, who Reuters says was armed with a shotgun, a handgun, and knives, running past a security checkpoint to gain access to the ballroom when law enforcement and the Secret Service engaged in gunfire with him. Trump shared the footage as well as an image of the alleged assailant, shirtless and pinned to the floor, before he was taken into custody.

There have been no reported injuries among attendees, who reportedly took cover under tables when the skirmish began.

Trump pushed for the White House Correspondents’ Dinner to go on, but his handlers refused, so he returned to the White House, where he had a press conference on the shooting.

“When you look at the people that have either – whether it was an attempt or a successful attempt, they’re very impactful people. Just take a look at the names,” he said, speaking of presidential assassination attempts. “They’re the big names, and I hate to say I’m honored by that, but I’ve done a lot. We’ve done a lot.”

He also tried to turn it into a successful counterargument to those opposed to his ballroom project.

“This event would never have happened with the Militarily Top Secret Ballroom currently under construction at the White House,” he wrote on social media. “It cannot be built fast enough!”

There are also skeptics on social media who believe the event might have been staged and have resorted to jokes. Some were even upset that the Minnesota Timberwolves— Denver Nuggets game was interrupted by the breaking news. The game was eventful, which saw two potentially season-ending injuries and a near-brawl at the end.

See the reactions below.