JUST IN: White House Correspondents’ Dinner Postponed After Chaotic Shooting, Trump to Hold Presser

AP Photo/Alex Brandon

President Donald Trump announced he would be leaving the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday night and will be holding a press conference at around 10:05 p.m. ET from the White House, shortly after a shooter was apprehended at the Hilton hotel in Washington, D.C.

That update came 19 minutes after Trump had urged the WHCA to continue the annual event, despite the chaotic scene that erupted after multiple shots were heard in the lobby.

Here is Trump’s latest post on Truth Social:

Law Enforcement has requested that we leave the premises, consistent with protocol, which we will do, immediately. I will be giving a press conference in 30 minutes from the White House Press Briefing Room. The First Lady, plus the Vice President, and all Cabinet members, are in perfect condition. We will be speaking to you in a half an hour. I have spoken with all the representatives in charge of the event, and we will be rescheduling within 30 days. President DONALD J. TRUMP

Minutes earlier in another post, Trump announced the shooter was apprehended and thanked the Secret Service and local cops for doing a “fantastic job.”

Trump said in that post he had recommended to the WHCA to “LET THE SHOW GO ON.”

WHCA President and CBS News reporter Weija Jiang appeared to be on the same page, at least at first, when she told the stunned crowd the event would resume. Another WHCA rep told the crowd at 9:26 p.m. ET it would restart soon, but that plan was ultimately scrapped and Trump posted he would hold his presser instead.

His post on the shooter being apprehended came after there was confusion about what initially happened. CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins reported live on air that she heard from one security source at the venue that the shooter had been killed.

The attempted attack coincided with Trump making his first appearance at the dinner since he entered the White House in 2017. It also comes after Trump has been the target of multiple assassination attempts in the last couple of years, including the 2024 shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania where he was hit in the ear; firefighter Corey Comperatore was killed in that attack.

Secret Service Comms boss Anthony Guglielmi posted the shooting was being investigated and “one individual is in custody.”

He added, “the condition of those involved is not yet known, and law enforcement is actively assessing the situation.”

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