Correspondents' dinner attacker detained with multiple weapons

Correspondents’ dinner attacker detained with multiple weapons

April 25, 2026/Newspaper Staff/

By Jon Styf
The Center Square

A California man charged security with multiple weapons at a magnetometer screening area outside the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday night before he shot one Secret Service agent at close range in the vest and then was apprehended.

A long gun and shell casings were recovered at the scene.

President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, and members of Trump’s cabinet were at the event and were deemed safe and Trump said that he spoke to the agent and he was OK.

“The vest did the job,” Trump said at a press conference on Saturday night.

Trump posted video of the attacker rushing the security area as well as photos of him in custody on social media.

Trump said that he believed the shooter was a “lone wolf” and that he is in a “dangerous profession” but that he wouldn’t allow the assassination attempts to stop him from doing his job.

He went on to say that the Hilton was “not a particularly secure building” and that future dinners would be held in the new White House ballroom.

The event took place in the Washington, D.C. Hilton, less than 2 miles from the White House. The Hilton was also the place where John Hinckley Jr. shot President Ronald Reagan on March 30, 1981.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said that charges would be filed on Saturday night against the attacker. Trump said that the attacker’s California apartment was being investigated.

Trump said that the event would hopefully be rescheduled within 30 days.

Leave a Comment





Latest News Stories

California attorney general sues over alleged FERPA violation

California attorney general sues over alleged FERPA violation

By Esther WickhamThe Center Square California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit this week against the U.S. Department of Education, disputing its claim that the California Department of Education...
California attorney general, Homeland Security debate mask ban

California attorney general, Homeland Security debate mask ban

By Dave MasonThe Center Square If ultimately upheld in court, California’s ban on masks for federal immigration officers will be enforced by all law enforcement agencies despite doubts by the...
TVA to keep two coal-fired power plants operating indefinitely

TVA to keep two coal-fired power plants operating indefinitely

By Alton WallaceThe Center Square Two coal-fired power plants in Tennessee that had been scheduled for closure in 2026 and 2028 will be kept open for the “foreseeable future” after...
Lawmakers probe nationwide child care fraud

Lawmakers probe nationwide child care fraud

By Andrew RiceThe Center Square A bipartisan group of senators probed allegations of fraud in the child care industry on Thursday. The lawmakers called for greater transparency and more rigorous...
Cornyn files Defeat Sharia Law in America Act, another Texas-led effort

Cornyn files Defeat Sharia Law in America Act, another Texas-led effort

By Bethany BlankleyThe Center Square U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, has filed a bill to ban Sharia law in the U.S., another act in a Texas-led effort addressing Islamic ideology....
WATCH: Attorney cites positive impact of corruption trials 1 year after Madigan conviction

WATCH: Attorney cites positive impact of corruption trials 1 year after Madigan conviction

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – One year after a federal jury convicted former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan of bribery, conspiracy, wire...
Illinois Quick Hits: $10M scheme alleged in heath care fraud case

Illinois Quick Hits: $10M scheme alleged in heath care fraud case

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Two Pakistani nationals have been charged in Chicago with participating in a $10-million scheme to fraudulently bill...

WATCH: Trump terminates Obama-era climate change policy

By Andrew RiceThe Center Square The Trump administration on Thursday terminated the Environmental Protection Agency’s “Endangerment Finding,” a landmark policy that led to sweeping climate change regulations and higher costs...
Democrats tank DHS bill again, likely triggering partial govt shutdown

Democrats tank DHS bill again, likely triggering partial govt shutdown

By Thérèse BoudreauxThe Center Square Democrats in the U.S. Senate tanked the Homeland Security full-year funding bill in a last-ditch vote Thursday, all but guaranteeing a partial government shutdown starting...
GOP governor candidate Heidner wants Illinois to ‘make,’ not ‘take’

GOP governor candidate Heidner wants Illinois to ‘make,’ not ‘take’

By Greg Bishop | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – One of the four Republicans vying for the party’s nomination to take on Gov. J.B. Pritzker says...

WATCH: WA to distribute its store of abortion pills to clinics, possibly nationwide

By Carleen JohnsonThe Center Square Washington Senators have passed a bill that would allow the state to distribute millions of abortion pills, it purchased after the U.S. Supreme Court decision...
Texas now leading in border security in the Arctic

Texas now leading in border security in the Arctic

By Bethany BlankleyThe Center Square Texas is again leading on border security, this time in the Arctic. New icebreakers are being built for the U.S. Coast Guard in Galveston and...
Federal debt expected to climb, but how much debt can U.S. carry?

Federal debt expected to climb, but how much debt can U.S. carry?

By Brett RowlandThe Center Square The latest projections show U.S. debt will continue to grow over the next decade, hitting 120% of gross domestic product by 2036, raising questions about...
Op-Ed: If Illinois wants clean energy, it needs data centers

Op-Ed: If Illinois wants clean energy, it needs data centers

By LyLena Estabine | Illinois Policy InstituteThe Center Square If Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker wants to reach his environmental and economic goals, data centers will need to be central to...
Bill lets Arizonans vote on right to refuse medical mandates

Bill lets Arizonans vote on right to refuse medical mandates

By Zachery SchmidtThe Center Square A new bill proposes giving Arizonans the chance to vote on whether the right of refusal in medical situations should be guaranteed in the state...