From roasts to gunshots… The highs and lows at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner

A glitzy, black-tie affair on Saturday (April 25) turned into a night of panic and terror when gunshots rang out, leaving guests diving to the floor and the US president being bundled out by security personnel.

We are talking about the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association’s annual dinner being held at the Washington Hilton, where 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, of Torrance, California, opened fire at the crowds, comprising journalists covering affairs of the White House, seated along with the US President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, and members of his administration.

The would-be assassin, as Trump described him, has been taken into custody and will be arraigned on Monday. Meanwhile, guests the event are still struck by the horror they watched unfold at the hotel.

Catch the latest updates from the Trump dinner shooting here

But what exactly is the White House Correspondents’ Dinner? What purpose does it serve?

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History of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner

The shooting occurred on Saturday, April 25, at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner held at the Washington Hilton. The annual black-tie glitzy event is held by an organisation called the White House Correspondents’ Association.

The dinner came about in 1921 after newspaper publisher Warren G Harding was elected president. Harding revitalised the relationship between the presidential office and the press by reinstating press conferences. He even hosted a dinner for reporters who covered his campaign.

And as a result, came the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Notably, Harding did not attend any of the three dinners held during his presidency. A number of his aides — including personal secretary George Christian and Secretary of Labour James Davis — attended the first dinner in his stead.

Purpose of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner

Since its inception, the glamourous gala has become a ‘be and seen’ event. As the BBC notes, beyond the dinner itself, the whole week sees Washington buzzing with parties hosted by embassies, organisations, and media outlets.

But at the heart of the dinner is one objective — a forum to celebrate the First Amendment, bringing political reporters and White House officials together to put hostilities aside for one night and acknowledge the importance of a free press.

Also referred to as the ‘nerd prom’ by many, the dinner raises money for promising young journalism students from across the country, who receive financial assistance from the White House Correspondents' Association. Each student is paired with a mentor who is an association member and an active reporter at the White House. They all receive invitations to the dinner.

Highs and lows at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner

Since its inception, the dinner has evolved into a unique spectacle. It has also produced some very memorable moments — some funny, some very tense, courtesy of the roast that occurs by a comedian and the US president himself.

One such moment occurred in 1983 when Mark Russell took the podium to grill US President Ronald Reagan. While Russell took to the opportunity to roast Reagan, the American leader demurred. He reminded the audience that he’d made “a sad journey” to Andrews Air Force Base earlier that day to receive the remains of the Americans killed in the April 18 bombing of the US Embassy in Lebanon.

US President George W Bush laughs at one of comedian Jay Leno's jokes at the annual White House Correspondent's Association dinner in Washington, DC in 2004. File image/Reuters

Another notable moment occurred in 2004. At the time, US forces were in Iraq based on the assertions that Saddam Hussein had possessed weapons threatening US security. By the time of the annual dinner, it had become apparent that these claims were overblown. Bush made light of the situation, presenting pictures of himself searching the White House for Saddam’s weapons.

“Those weapons of mass destruction have got to be here somewhere,” he quipped, as one slide showed him looking under furniture in the Oval Office. The audience responded with laughter and applause. However, some veterans, including then-Senator John Kerry, the 2004 presidential nominee, were not amused.

Then, in 2011, US President Barack Obama used the dinner to take jabs at Donald Trump, who was sitting in the audience then. At the time when questions had been raised about Obama’s birth, the US president said: “Tonight, for the first time, I am releasing my official birth video,” before showing the opening scene of Disney’s The Lion King, when the royal cub Simba is presented on the savanna.

Obama then turned his fire directly on Trump. “No one is happier, no one is prouder to put this birth certificate matter to rest than the Donald,” Obama said. “And that’s because he can finally get back to focusing on the issues that matter. For example, did we fake the moon landing? What really happened in Roswell? And where are Biggie and Tupac?”

Years later, after Trump won the presidency, he chose to break with tradition. From 2017 to 2019, Trump boycotted the dinner entirely. It wasn’t surprising considering the US president believed the press to be the “enemy of the people”.

Then in 2020 and 2021, Covid struck the world, and the dinner was cancelled.

Shockingly, in 2026, Trump decided to attend the dinner and the shooting broke out.

Shooting and panic at the White House Correspondents’ dinner

On Saturday (April 26), Trump sat at the head table at the White House Correspondents' Dinner conversing with officials over burrata salad and wine.

Guests take cover after US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were rushed out of the White House Correspondents' Association dinner by Secret Service agents after a shooting. Reuters

Suddenly, guests heard a loud bang and shouts of “stay down!” and “get down!” Officials in the Trump administration and some members of his Cabinet — took cover. Amid the chaos, the president and First Lady Melania Trump were quickly surrounded by US Secret Service agents, their weapons drawn. They quickly rushed Trump off the stage and through a back curtain as the crowd crouched in shock.

The big band music stopped, and for a few seconds a hush fell over the guests. Agents swarmed around tables as plates crashed to the floor of the massive ballroom of the Washington Hilton, the very hotel where US President Ronald Reagan survived an assassination attempt 45 years earlier.

The entire room was ordered evacuated, and several hundred guests made their way into the Hilton lobby and out into the chilly air. Guests were seen hugging, making calls, texting friends and loved ones, and their news bureaux.

A guest reacts as she makes a phone call following a shooting incident during the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington, DC. Reuters

Later, Trump struck a sombre tone as he addressed reporters at the White House, saying being president is “a dangerous profession” and that attempted violence against him is “part of the job”. He also vowed that the gala would be rescheduled.

“We’re going to do it again,” said Trump. “We’re not gonna let anyone take over our society.”

With inputs from agencies