Trump rushed from White House Correspondents' Dinner after gunman fires shots

US PRESIDENT DONALD Trump was evacuated from an annual dinner of White House correspondents after shots were fired in the building overnight.

A gunman armed with “multiple weapons” who tried to charge a Washington dinner attended by Donald Trump was “a lone wolf whack job”, according to the US president.

The suspect, said to have been carrying a shotgun and handgun, has been identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, of Torrance, California.

He is understood to have been a guest in the Washington Hilton hotel where the event was being held and faces charges including assaulting an officer with a dangerous weapon, but acting attorney general Todd Blanche said additional charges will be filed.

The president posted pictures on his Truth Social platform of the alleged assailant handcuffed on the ground following his detention.

Trump vowed to reschedule the disrupted event at a late-night press conference following the shooting, which he said had “unified” political opponents and the media.

Loud bangs

Loud bangs were heard and guests at the black-tie White House Correspondents’ Dinner scrambled to hide under tables.

Tactical teams drew their guns and took position on the stage where Trump had been sitting before he was evacuated. The US president was unhurt in the incident. 

Authorities have said a person is in custody following the “shooting incident” which is understood to have occurred near a security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton where the event was taking place.

Trump was escorted off stage and all officials protected by the Secret Service were evacuated.

An officer was shot while wearing a bullet-resistant vest, but is understood not to be in a serious condition, law enforcement officials said on Saturday evening. 

A cabinet official, Mehmet Oz, said “shots fired upstairs” as he was rushed out by security.

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Trump posted on his Truth Social account and said that a “shooter” has been arrested.

“Quite an evening in DC. Secret Service and Law Enforcement did a fantastic job. 

“They acted quickly and bravely. The shooter has been apprehended and I have recommend that we ‘let the show go on’ but, will entirely be guided by Law Enforcement. 

“They will make a decision shortly. Regardless of that decision, the evening will be much different than planned, and we’ll just, plain, have to do it again. President Donald J Trump,” the post read. 

The Washington Hilton where Saturday’s gala was taking place was the site where Republican  President Ronald Reagan was shot by a would-be assassin in 1981.

Organisers told guests that the White House Correspondents’ Dinner would continue despite the incident.

Trump was attending the event for the first time while in office.

The White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) invited Trump this year despite his repeated attacks on the media. The move had drawn backlash across newsrooms, and hundreds of journalists signed an open letter asking attendees to call out Trump’s press restrictions.

Unlike all other presidents from the past 100 years, Trump has never attended the White House Correspondents’ Dinner while in office — until now.

The “Nerd Prom” as attendees dub it brings together hundreds of Washington journalists and media executives to raise funds for scholarships and awards.

This is a breaking news story, updates will follow…