Shooting at White House Dinner; Suspect Detained, Event Resumes

A shooting at a White House dinner sent hundreds of guests scrambling for cover before security detained a suspect and organizers restarted the event, President Trump posted.

Trump wrote on Truth Social that the Secret Service and other law enforcement officers “acted quickly and bravely” and that the shooter had been apprehended. He added that he recommended the dinner continue but that officials would make the final call, and wrote the evening would be “much different” and they would “have to do it again.”

Several senior administration officials had been introduced at the dinner before the room went into lockdown, including FBI Director Kash Patel and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Attendees were instructed to take cover while security moved through the dining hall.

Many of the roughly 2,600 people at the event hid under tables as staff and security guided guests away from potential danger. Waiters ran toward the front of the room during the commotion. First lady Melania Trump, who had been on stage, appeared to notice something in the crowd and looked concerned before she was escorted off the stage.

Organizers and security personnel secured the venue and moved attendees as they waited for confirmation that the suspect was in custody. The White House Correspondents’ Association president, Weijia Jiang, later returned to the stage and informed the audience that the dinner would resume, noting that people wanted answers but that officials did not yet have full details.

Investigators are expected to release more information about the suspect and the circumstances of the shooting after completing on-scene work and reviewing security footage. For now, officials have confirmed only that a suspect was detained and that the dinner resumed.