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A gunman tried to breach the hotel ballroom during the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner where President Donald Trump and Cabinet secretaries were assembled, disrupting the event within minutes, the Associated Press reported. The incident unfolded as Trump, who had boycotted previous dinners as president, was in the ballroom with administration officials and members of the press, with the dinner already underway as staff served dinner courses.

The Associated Press reported that as shots rang out outside the ballroom, attendees initially struggled to interpret the sound. Trump later wondered “if the sound of a gunshot” might have been something else, saying, “I was hoping it was a tray,” but “it wasn’t.” AP reported that Oz Pearlman, the mentalist enlisted as the evening’s entertainer, was performing on stage when shots were heard outside the ballroom.

As the situation escalated, the mood shifted sharply. The Associated Press reported that security officials shouted “Shots fired” to people seated near the doors, and guests ducked under tables and chairs, knocking over settings amid confusion as Secret Service and other law enforcement rushed to respond.

Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., said he heard “a pop” but did not know what it was, describing the chaos that followed. “And then you heard all sorts of things clatter. Then the Secret Service and every detail came flooding in and everybody went down. I took a knee. … I didn’t go under the table,” Lawler told AP.

For a few moments, AP said it appeared Trump was still watching before Secret Service took him away. AP reported that Trump said his wife, Melania Trump, “knew immediately what happened,” while he said he did not, and that she told him “that’s a bad noise.”

On the stage, AP reported that heavily armed Secret Service agents flooded the area as law enforcement and National Guard descended on the hotel. Vice President JD Vance was the first to be pulled off stage, and Trump and the first lady were initially shielded behind armored plating before the Trumps were removed from the room and taken to a secure suite reserved for Trump behind the stage.

AP also reported that security agents moved through the ballroom crowd to remove VIPs, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and senior White House advisers Stephen Miller and Dan Scavino. The report said some guests began trying to chant “U.S.A” as Trump was taken out before others in the room shushed them.

Several attendees were seen in distress as they left the venue, with AP reporting that Erika Kirk, widow of assassinated conservative activist Charlie Kirk, was seen in tears while being escorted out. AP said it became clear in the ballroom that there were no serious injuries among those gathered.

Police said the suspect had a shotgun, a handgun and knives, and stormed the lobby, running past security barricades as Secret Service agents raced toward him, AP reported. The report said an officer was shot in a bullet-resistant vest but was recovering, and that the gunman was tackled, taken into custody, and evaluated at a hospital. AP identified the shooting suspect as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California.

AP reported that some guests fled through hallways and that outside the hotel they had to walk for blocks to reach streets not blocked by police vehicles, with helicopters hovering overhead. The report said Trump remained at the secure site for some time while the event area was stabilized, with hotel staff refolding napkins and refilling water glasses and aides adjusting a teleprompter for his remarks.

After security re-established control, AP reported that Trump wanted the dinner to proceed, but deferred to security protocols. The report said he insisted the event would be rescheduled for sometime in the coming 30 days, and that back at the White House late in the evening he addressed what happened, saying, “When you’re impactful they go after you,” and, “I’m not a basket case.” AP said he later told the crowd, “I see so many tuxedos and beautiful dresses. It was a little different evening than we thought. But we’re going to do it again.”