How the White House Correspondents' Dinner and response unfolded

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Gunfire astatine the Washington Hilton Saturday night abruptly halted the yearly White House Correspondents' Association dinner. A man allegedly equipped with 2 firearms and knives breached a Secret Service checkpoint extracurricular the ballroom. He was stopped by instrumentality enforcement earlier helium could scope the meal wherever President Trump and 2,600 guests had gathered. A Secret Service serviceman was deed by a circular and protected by a bulletproof vest, authorities said.

Here is simply a moment-by-moment relationship of the events, according to authorities and eyewitness accounts. All times are eastbound daylight time.

8:34:29 PM: Security checkpoint is breached

8:34:29 PM: Surveillance video shared by the president shows a idiosyncratic barreling astatine afloat tilt done a Secret Service metallic detector, stunning a fractional twelve officers. A swarm of officers pursuit after. Just down a staircase, 2,600 WHCD guests dine connected a crockery appetizer successful the… pic.twitter.com/cI3eVrV8A9

— CBS News (@CBSNews) April 26, 2026

A idiosyncratic barrels astatine afloat tilt done a Secret Service metallic detector, stunning a fractional twelve officers nearby. He's sprinting truthful accelerated helium astir clips 1 serviceman successful plainclothes, who draws a sidearm. A swarm of officers pursuit aft him.

The information checkpoint is separated from the 30,000square-foot ballroom by a staircase. About 2,600 radical are inside, 1 level below, eating an appetizer people of breadstuff and salad.

Security camera video of the breach is posted by Mr. Trump connected Truth Social.

8:34:33 PM: Rapid occurrence of gunshots is heard

8:34:33 PM: A bid of gunshots tin beryllium heard successful the ballroom. On the dais wherever President Trump is seated, the gunshots are muted, if audible astatine all. For guests successful the backmost of the venue, the dependable and odor of gunpowder are unmistakable. pic.twitter.com/N22nvriLCd

— CBS News (@CBSNews) April 26, 2026

A bid of accelerated gunshots tin beryllium heard successful the ballroom. On the dais wherever President Trump is seated, the gunshots are muted, if audible astatine all. Some deliberation a subordinate of the waitstaff had dropped serving trays. For guests successful the backmost of the venue, person to the incident, the dependable and odor of gunpowder are unmistakable.

At the clip shots were fired, mentalist Oz Pearlman, the entertainer for the evening, tin beryllium seen astatine the caput array performing a instrumentality for Mr. Trump, archetypal woman Melania Trump, property caput Karoline Leavitt and White House Correspondents' Association President Weijia Jiang.

Pearlman aboriginal confirms to CBS News helium was trying to conjecture the sanction of Leavitt's unborn girl who is owed adjacent week.

It takes much than 20 seconds for the president to beryllium whisked disconnected signifier by his information detail.

Around 8:34:35 PM: Guests instrumentality cover

8:34:35 PM: Guests astatine the backmost of the ballroom instrumentality screen connected the level and nether tables. Some sprout video connected their phones of the unfolding scene. pic.twitter.com/gTW6eXvMhE

— CBS News (@CBSNews) April 26, 2026

Guests successful the raised seating country astatine the backmost of the ballroom statesman to instrumentality screen connected the level and nether tables. Some instrumentality retired their phones to sprout video of the unfolding scene.

Around 8:34:40 PM: Security rushes in

8:34:40 PM: Security officers unreserved up the halfway aisle, climbing implicit chairs and fanning retired crossed the ballroom to their protectees. pic.twitter.com/f1KfRfKj86

— CBS News (@CBSNews) April 26, 2026

Moments aft the shots, information officers unreserved up the halfway aisle, climbing implicit chairs and fanning retired to their protectees. Some Cabinet members and members of Congress are crouched nether tables.

8:34:45 PM: Trump is evacuated

8:34:45 PM: Secret Service agents tally connected signifier 12 seconds aft shots are fired. VP Vance is rapidly escorted offstage. An cause blocks President Trump with his body, but it takes respective seconds for POTUS and FLOTUS to instrumentality cover. POTUS is escorted offstage 20 seconds aft the… pic.twitter.com/jO1JLjRiLb

— CBS News (@CBSNews) April 26, 2026

Secret Service agents tally connected stage. An cause grabs Vice President Vance – who is inactive seated astatine the caput array – by the shoulders, and pulls him retired of his chair. He is escorted offstage wrong 4 seconds, portion the president is inactive connected stage.

Across the stage, a Secret Service cause stands successful beforehand of Mr. Trump, blocking him from view. Mr. Trump remains seated, the archetypal woman disposable adjacent to him, portion Pearlman stands down them holding a insubstantial from his trick.

At the aforesaid infinitesimal Vance exits the stage, the archetypal woman starts to little herself to the floor, and 4 seconds aboriginal President Trump starts to get retired of his seat aft agents outcry to "stay down."

Leavitt and others seated astatine the caput array get connected the ground. Two Secret Service agents propulsion Mr. Trump up and commencement to escort him offstage. After taking respective steps, Mr. Trump is lowered to the crushed and covered by 4 agents. Leavitt exits the signifier astatine a crouch. Mr. Trump past stands backmost up, and helium and the archetypal woman are escorted offstage by Secret Service. Mr. Trump exits the signifier 20 seconds aft Vice President Vance.

8:35:47 PM: Security sweeps continue

8:35:47 PM: Armed instrumentality enforcement inhabit a stairwell astatine the rear of the ballroom. An cause shouts: "Is anyone successful the kitchen?" Behind swinging doors, room unit are lined up with arms raised arsenic agents with guns drawn wide the area. pic.twitter.com/fY7JeaG3Wk

— CBS News (@CBSNews) April 26, 2026

Law enforcement with guns drawn inhabit a stairwell astatine the rear of the ballroom. An cause shouts: "Is anyone successful the kitchen? Is anybody successful the kitchen?" Behind a swinging acceptable of doors a tense room unit is lined up and stands with arms raised arsenic agents, weapons drawn, wide the area.

8:37 PM: Administration officials escorted out

8:37 PM: Security details commencement removing medication officials from the ballroom arsenic meal attendees proceed to instrumentality screen nether their tables. Among those escorted retired are Treasury Sec. Bessent, Defense Sec. Hegseth, Acting AG Blanche, and House Majority Leader Scalise. pic.twitter.com/wjqzJZReuW

— CBS News (@CBSNews) April 26, 2026

Security details commencement moving dignitaries from the ballroom.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche are escorted retired arsenic meal attendees proceed to instrumentality screen nether their tables. A Capitol Police item hustles House Majority Leader Steve Scalise done the room.

9:17 PM: Trump posts connected societal media

9:17 PM: President Trump posts connected Truth Social that the shooter has been apprehended and that helium “recommended that we ‘LET THE SHOW GO ON’ but, volition wholly beryllium guided by Law Enforcement.” pic.twitter.com/OLfrLiCjkN

— CBS News (@CBSNews) April 26, 2026

Mr. Trump posts connected Truth Social that the shooter has been apprehended and that helium "recommended that we 'LET THE SHOW GO ON' but, volition wholly beryllium guided by Law Enforcement." He adds: "Regardless of that decision, the evening volition beryllium overmuch antithetic than planned, and we'll just, plain, person to bash it again."

9:39:12 PM: "We tally to a crisis, not from it"

9:39:12 PM: WHCA President Weijia Jiang returns to the podium to denote that the meal has been canceled. She adds that President Trump insists the meal beryllium rescheduled successful the adjacent 30 days. pic.twitter.com/abqwTQksUD

— CBS News (@CBSNews) April 26, 2026

Jiang returns to the podium to denote the meal volition not spell connected arsenic scheduled. She adds that the president insists the meal beryllium rescheduled successful the adjacent 30 days.

"I said earlier contiguous that journalism is simply a nationalist service, due to the fact that erstwhile determination is an emergency, we tally to the crisis, not distant from it," Jiang says to the country afloat of reporters. "And connected a nighttime erstwhile we are reasoning astir the freedoms successful the First Amendment, we indispensable besides deliberation astir however fragile they are."

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