President Donald Trump publicly praised First Lady Melania Trump's reaction to a shooting that disrupted the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday evening, describing the incident as a traumatic experience for his wife while emphasizing the administration's commitment to maintaining normalcy in the face of violence.
Speaking to reporters from the White House on Saturday, April 25, the 79-year-old president reflected on the chaotic moments when gunfire rang out at the Washington Hilton hotel in Washington, D.C. The incident forced the immediate evacuation of Trump, Melania, 56, and pregnant White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, along with other administration officials.
"I want to thank the first lady, that was a rather traumatic experience for her," Trump told reporters. "We're not going to let anybody take over our society, we're not going to cancel things out … we can't do that. We wanted to stay tonight, I fought like hell to say, but it was protocol … there was a lot of action going on."
The president provided a detailed account of the moments when the shooting began, noting the first lady's immediate awareness of the danger. Trump recalled sitting beside Melania when he heard what he initially mistook for a falling tray.
"It was totally shocking when something like this happens. It happened to me a little bit, and that never changes," the president said. "The fact, we were sitting right next to each other, first lady on my right, and I heard a noise … I thought it was a tray going down and it was a pretty loud noise and it was from quite far away. [The suspect] hadn't reached the area at all. They really got him … but it was a gun."
Trump specifically commended Melania's quick recognition of the threat. "Some people really understood that very quickly, other people didn't … I was watching what happened. Melania was very cognizant of what happened. I think she knew immediately what happened. She was saying, 'That's a bad noise.' And we were whisked away. It was very quick … it was a matter of seconds that we were out the door."
According to multiple media outlets, a 30-year-old man from California was apprehended during the shooting and has been charged with two counts of using a firearm and one count of assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon. The Secret Service reported that the suspect's current condition and motives remain unknown. The individual was reportedly a guest at the Washington Hilton, where the White House Correspondents' Dinner was being held.
A Secret Service agent sustained gunshot wounds during the violent exchange and was transported to a hospital for treatment. Trump confirmed to reporters during his news conference that he had spoken to the injured agent by phone.
"The [bulletproof] vest did its job. I just spoke to the officer and he's doing great," the politician revealed.
Later in the news conference, Trump said he was "honored to be a target" because it means his presidency has been consequential.
"When you look at our great presidents, [this] doesn't happen to people who don't do anything," he told reporters.
The president initially expressed a strong desire to return to the Washington Hilton to deliver his planned speech. However, White House Correspondents' Association President Weijia Jiang ultimately confirmed that the dinner would be rescheduled sometime in the next 30 days at the alleged behest of the president.
"Law enforcement has requested that we leave the premises. … [The president] wanted to emphasize that nobody was hurt. The cabinet and the first lady, everybody's safe," she explained. "I said earlier tonight that journalism is a public service because when there is an emergency we run toward the crisis, not away from it."
Jiang went on, "I saw all of you reporting and that's what we do. Thank God everybody is safe and thank you for coming together tonight."
Saturday's White House Correspondents' Dinner marked Trump's first appearance at the event during either of his two presidencies, after skipping the gathering during his first term and in 2025. The incident underscores ongoing security challenges facing presidential events and raises questions about protective protocols at high-profile Washington gatherings.