Trump was about to give his first speech as president at the White House Correspondents' Dinner.
Around 8:35 p.m., five shots rang out from the back of the ballroom as attendees dove under tables, with the Secret Service surrounding Trump and pulling him off stage seconds later. By the time Trump reached the briefing room podium hours later, the suspect was in custody and one officer had been hit.
Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll said the suspect, identified by a former senior law enforcement official as Cole Allen of Torrance, California, was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives.
Authorities believe Allen, who was 31 according to the Associated Press, was a guest at the Washington Hilton and had a room secured at the hotel. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said he will be arraigned Monday.
A source briefed by the Secret Service told CNBC the man approached metal detectors with a shotgun and was shot, while other law enforcement officials told MS NOW the gunman was not shot before he was subdued. The full picture is still coming together.
One Secret Service officer was hit, and Trump told reporters the officer's bulletproof vest saved him.
"I just spoke to the officer, and he's doing great," Trump said, praising the agents and the response.
Vice President JD Vance, FBI Director Kash Patel and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. were all at the dinner, and Melania Trump was on stage with the president. None were hurt.
Trump said he "fought like hell" to stay at the event but law enforcement asked him to leave, with the dinner now set to be rescheduled within 30 days.
Asked whether he believed he was the target, Trump said, "I guess." He has now survived three known attempts on his life, including a campaign rally shooting in Pennsylvania in July 2024 and an attempt at his West Palm Beach golf course later that year.
Pirro is the same U.S. Attorney now handling the appeal of a federal judge's ruling on Powell-related Fed subpoenas. Saturday's case lands on a federal docket that is already crowded.