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White House Correspondents’ Association President Weijia Jiang announced Saturday that the White House Correspondents’ Dinner would be canceled and rescheduled following a shooting at the event that prompted President Donald Trump to be evacuated.
“Law enforcement has requested that we leave the premises consistent with protocol. [President Donald Trump] wanted to emphasize that nobody was hurt. He and the first lady, the Cabinet, everybody’s safe,” Jiang said.
The crowd cheered at the news of the Cabinet’s safety as Jiang confirmed Trump would be giving a press briefing from the White House after the events of the night, despite wanting to continue the dinner.
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“That is not a joke,” Jiang said as the crowd laughed. “And he insists that we will reschedule this event in the next 30 days, and that he wanted to do it tonight. He wanted to continue despite the news, but has to follow security protocol.”
She continued, “I said earlier tonight that journalism is a public service because when there is an emergency, we run to the crisis, not away from it. And on a night when we are thinking about the freedoms in the First Amendment, we must also think about how fragile they are. I saw all of you reporting, and that‘s what we do. Thank God everybody is safe. And thank you for coming together tonight. We will do this again. Thank you.”
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Jiang’s comments came after a Truth Social post from Trump about his press conference.
“Law Enforcement has requested that we leave the premises, consistent with protocol, which we will do, immediately. I will be giving a press conference in 30 minutes from the White House Press Briefing Room. The First Lady, plus the Vice President, and all Cabinet members, are in perfect condition. We will be speaking to you in a half an hour. I have spoken with all the representatives in charge of the event, and we will be rescheduling within 30 days,” Trump wrote.
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Trump, first lady Melania Trump and the rest of the president’s Cabinet were rushed from the head table after reports of gunfire at the Washington Hilton. The site of the Washington Hilton was also the location of the assassination attempt against President Ronald Reagan in 1981.
Trump announced last month that he accepted the invitation to attend this year’s dinner, explaining that the country’s 250th anniversary influenced his decision.
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Trump’s attendance marked the first time he has been present at the event as president in either term. Trump previously attended the dinner as a private citizen in 2011, when he was famously roasted by then-President Barack Obama.
Trump faced two assassination attempts in 2024, including one in Pennsylvania when an assailant’s bullet grazed his ear.
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