Republican says the event will be rescheduled in 30 days; salads were being served at the moment shots were heard
The dinner of the President of the United States, (Republican), with authorities and journalists on Saturday (April 25, 2025) was canceled at around 10:30 pm (Brasília time). About an hour before, an armed man tried to invade the space where the event was taking place, at the Washington Hilton Hotel, but was restrained and detained by Secret Service agents.
The guests were already eating when shots were heard from inside the room, where Trump and guests were. One was being served. Wines and other drinks were already on the tables. Reports from those at the scene to North American media outlets indicate that the sounds of gunshots were initially mistaken for those of a metal tray falling.
As Trump hurriedly left the room, everyone was told to stay crouched. Videos circulating on social media show people seeking protection under tables, while others remain sitting in their chairs. Images of guests eating and picking up unopened bottles of drinks while the space was evacuated went viral on social media.
Watch the video (38s):
🎥 Guests eat and take bottles after attack at Trump dinner
📷 Images of guests at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on Saturday (April 25, 2026) spread across social media. The videos and photos show what participants eat during the…
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Trump later said the dinner will be rescheduled within the next 30 days. The (White House Correspondents Association), responsible for the event, has not yet commented on a new date. O Poder360 reached out to the association to ask if there is any update. There was no response until the publication of this report. The text will be updated if a statement is sent to this digital newspaper.
There is also no information about tickets.
To enter the event, journalists needed to present only the entry, without the need to show identification document, in accordance with the The Washington Post. The individual access ticket cost US$ 350while a table for 10 people came out US$ 3.500.
ATTACK ON TRUMP’S DINNER
Read below what is known so far:
- what there was – an armed man during an event with Trump, the Secret Service responded and shots were fired;
- what was the event – the traditional dinner with sector journalists at the White House, held on April 25, 2026 at the Washington Hilton Hotel, in the US capital, with the Republican, the 1st echelon of the Trump administration, media professionals and guests;
- Trump escorted – as soon as the shots were heard, the Secret Service;
- who is the suspect – He is 31 years old, an engineer graduated from Caltech and living in California. He was carrying two firearms and several knives at the time he was restrained by the Secret Service. He is in the custody of the authorities;
- “lone wolf” – after the attack, Trump spoke to journalists and said he believed Cole Allen – he also had a photo of the man on his social media profile;
- injured in the attack – Trump stated that he, First Lady Melania, Vice President JD Vance and other members of the government who were at the dinner are fine, but that a Secret Service agent was . He said he spoke with the officer, who is fine and was wearing a bulletproof vest.
JOURNALISTS ASSOCIATION
Saturday’s dinner (April 25) between journalists and the President of the United States, was organized by the (White House Correspondents Association). The most correct way to translate the name of this private entity is “Association of Journalists who Cover the White House”.
A , in response to a statement by the then US president, Woodrow Wilson, who in 1913 said that he could end the tradition of participating in interviews with journalists, as “certain afternoon newspapers” (without saying which ones) they would be publishing phrases that he considered to have given privately.
The 1st Annual WHCA Dinner was held on May 7, 1921 at the Arlington Hotel on the corner of Vermont Avenue and L Street in Washington. The then US president, Warren G. Harding, did not attend the event. The first North American president to attend the dinner was Calvin Coolidge, in 1924.
Over the years, the dinner has become a tradition in the North American political world, in the country’s capital. The location changes from time to time. It’s always an opportunity for the country’s president to speak in a more relaxed way, listen and tell jokes.
These opportunities are seen as a celebration of freedom of expression, one of the most popular rights in the country and enshrined in 1791 by the , which prevents Congress from creating laws that limit freedom of speech, press, assembly, religion and petitioning the government.
