WASHINGTON, APR 26: President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump were rushed out of the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner by Secret Service agents on Saturday night after loud bangs were heard.

Other Trump administration officials attending the dinner were also evacuated after a loud commotion and noise near the hotel ballroom where the dinner was being held.

Dinner attendees immediately stopped ​talking, and people started screaming, “Get down, get down!”

Hundreds ​of guests dove under the tables as Secret Service officers ‌in ⁠combat gear ran into the dining room. Trump and the first lady had bent down behind the dais before being hustled out by Secret ​Service officers.

Many of the 2,600 attendees took cover while waiters fled to the front of the dining hall.

Shortly before being escorted off the stage by security, Melania Trump appeared to react to something in the crowd and had a concerned look on her face, according to a live feed from CSPAN.

Earlier, Russian media had claimed that a shooter was killed at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner by the President’s security detail after allegedly opening fire, saying multiple rounds were fired before the suspect was neutralised.

However, President Trump, in a Truth Social post, said security agencies acted swiftly during an incident in Washington, praising their response and confirming that a suspect had been detained.

“Quite an evening in D.C. Secret Service and Law Enforcement did a fantastic job. They acted quickly and bravely,” he said in a post on social media.

“The shooter has been apprehended, and I have recommended that we ‘LET THE SHOW GO ON’ but, will entirely be guided by Law Enforcement. They will make a decision shortly,” he added.

He said the final decision on proceeding with the event would be left to law enforcement, adding that the evening would “be much different than planned” and may need to be rescheduled.

In another Truth Social post, Trump said law enforcement had ordered an immediate evacuation following a security incident in Washington, adding that top officials were safe and the event would be rescheduled.

“Law Enforcement has requested that we leave the premises, consistent with protocol, which we will do, immediately,” he said in a post on social media.

“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,” he added.

He said he had spoken with officials in charge of the event and that it would be rescheduled within 30 days.

According to eyewitnesses, police swarmed the Washington Hilton Hotel where the event was taking place, and helicopters hovered overhead.

CNN and other US media reported Trump was unhurt.

The pool report said an alleged shooter was in custody, citing the Secret Service, but the report was not officially confirmed.

Unconfirmed reports suggested one person was injured, though details about the cause of the injury were not available.

The incident erupted after the welcoming speech and during dinner, before Trump was due to speak.

Trump administration officials appeared to have been evacuated first and uncertainty remained as to what exactly happened.

A cabinet official, Mehmet Oz, said “shots fired upstairs” as he was rushed out by security.

Trump was the target of an assassination attempt during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in 2024. A gunman fired several shots, killing a rallygoer and lightly wounding the president in the ear.

A few months later, another man was arrested after a Secret Service agent saw the barrel of a rifle poking from the bushes on the perimeter of the West Palm Beach golf course where Trump was playing a round.

The Washington Hilton, where Saturday’s gala was taking place, was the site where Republican President Ronald Reagan was shot by a would-be assassin in 1981.

Organizers told guests that the White House Correspondents´ Dinner would continue despite the incident.

Trump was attending the event for the first time while in office.

The White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) invited Trump this year despite his repeated attacks on the media. The move had drawn backlash across newsrooms, and hundreds of journalists signed an open letter asking attendees to call out Trump’s press restrictions.

Unlike all other presidents from the past 100 years, Trump has never attended the White House Correspondents’ Dinner while in office — until now.

The “Nerd Prom”, as attendees dub it, brings together hundreds of Washington journalists and media executives to raise funds for scholarships and awards.

In the Butler shooting, Trump was grazed on his right ear when a 20-year-old gunman opened fire from a nearby rooftop while the Republican presidential candidate was holding a campaign rally in Butler on July 13.

One person in the audience was killed, and the gunman, Thomas Crooks, was shot dead by a Secret Service sniper.