Story perspectives

Trump Praises Secret Service, Vows Dinner Reschedule Within 30 Days

4/26/2026

Center

Trump Evacuates Dinner

President Donald Trump praised the Secret Service and pledged to reschedule the dinner within 30 days.
Evacuation of President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump from the Dinner followed gunshots, where shooter was apprehended nearby.
Cabinet members, including Vice President JD Vance, were evacuated and reported in perfect condition.
Correspondents Association president Weijia Jiang announced the program would continue before the ballroom was cleared.

Right

Secret Service Saves

Pro-Palestine demonstrators gathered outside the Washington Hilton, and one briefly crossed the red carpet before police detained him.
A 31-year-old Torrance, California gunman breached the Washington Hilton’s metal detectors, opened fire, and was seized by Secret Service agents.
President Donald Trump praised Secret Service and pledged to reschedule dinner within 30 days.
A Secret Service agent was hit but survived because his vest stopped the bullet.

History

Historical Context

On March 30 1981, John Hinckley Jr. fired six shots at President Ronald Reagan outside the Washington Hilton, wounding the president and Secret Service agent Tim McCarthy, whose vest stopped a bullet; the hotel’s “President’s Walk” was added after JFK’s 1963 assassination. The 2024 Trump fundraiser at the same venue saw a gunman breach detectors, injuring another agent, prompting renewed security reforms.

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Trump Evacuates Dinner

President Donald Trump praised the Secret Service and pledged to reschedule the dinner within 30 days.
Evacuation of President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump from the Dinner followed gunshots, where shooter was apprehended nearby.
Cabinet members, including Vice President JD Vance, were evacuated and reported in perfect condition.
Correspondents Association president Weijia Jiang announced the program would continue before the ballroom was cleared.

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