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Key events
Trump to hold press briefing at White House
“The president will be having a press briefing at the White House in 30 minutes – that is not a joke,” Weijia Jiang, president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, just told the room full of reporters.
“And he insists that we will reschedule this event in 30 days and that he wanted to continue, despite the news, but has to follow security protocol.”
The Guardian’s Rachel Leingang was seated at the table alongside colleagues and guests when someone yelled that shots had been fired. Guests began diving under the tables. She recalls Secret Service agents running in and moving chairs of the way as they raced down the aisles.
“Everyone kind of stayed under the tables for a little while, until people started like popping back up and then everyone tried to figure out what was going on – they were talking to each other like, ‘What happened? What happened?’”
Then security agents came inside of the ballroom and said everyone needed to leave. Rachel said she left the room.
Now Rachel is outside, where the sounds of sirens and helicopters are buzzing all around. She is safe, and said the exits have been blocked.
David Smith, the Guardian’s Washington bureau chief, spoke briefly to Frank Luntz, a prominent political consultant and pollster.
“I watched the security people use the ultimate in athleticism to get over tables, get over chairs, to get to the people that they were guarding,” Luntz said.
“The Secret Service was impressive, the congressional security was impressive. All the military and all the people responsible for keeping Americans safe, they were all in play in the last few minutes, and it’s both impressive and frightening that this should happen at the White House correspondents’ dinner. I’ve never seen this before. More security people are in this room than in any other place in America. And they all leaped into action. They all understood what they were facing. And it makes me proud to be an American.”
Trump says shooter has been ‘apprehended’
Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that the “shooter has been apprehended” and that he has recommended that we “LET THE SHOW GO ON” but said the decision will ultimately be made by law enforcement.
“They will make a decision shortly,” Trump said. “Regardless of that decision, the evening will be much different than planned, and we’ll just, plain, have to do it again.”
David Smith
The Guardian’s David Smith, who was one of four Guardian journalists in the room at the Washington Hilton when the president was evacuated, stopped Representative Jamie Raskin for his reaction.
Raskin, a Democratic congressman from Maryland, said: “I didn’t see anything in terms of the shooter except I just entered the room about five minutes ago and I was talking to people from the Boston Globe and my old friend Kerry Kennedy and then I think a secret service agent threw me to the ground and on top of some other people and people were screaming and yelling.
“Apparently there was a shooter in the lobby and, at least the rumor is, that the shooter has been killed and is dead in the lobby and that’s really all I know. I was just trying to get over to the NBC table – these people had invited me and I never even made it to the table so I felt bad.”
Raskin added: “I heard some loud noises but I don’t know if that was people reacting or if that was something outside, it was hard to know, but people very quickly were saying that was a shot, that was the gunshot.
“People were terrified; people seem to be relieved now.”
Dinner expected to resume after Trump and cabinet members evacuated
Weijia Jiang, president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, has said the dinner will resume.
“Our program is going to resume momentarily,” she said.
The presidential seal is on the podium onstage at the Washington Hilton, a sign that Trump may return to speak.
Opening summary
The White House Correspondents’ Dinner was interrupted by loud bangs on Saturday evening, followed by immediate commotion. Donald Trump and Melania Trump were evacuated immediately as many journalists and their guests across the room ducked under tables in the Washington Hilton ballroom.
There were reports that the US Secret Service had guns drawn as they rushed the White House pool reporters out of the room and mentioned “shots fired”.
The atmosphere in the room was tense as journalists waited to hear what happened and what to do next.
This is a breaking news story and we will bring you developments as they unfold.
