Trump was the target of an assassination attempt during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania in 2024. A gunman fired several shots, killing a rally goer and lightly wounding the president in the ear.
A few months later, another man was arrested after a Secret Service agent saw the barrel of a rifle poking from the bushes on the perimeter of the West Palm Beach golf course where Trump was playing a round.
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.
In the Butler shooting, Trump was grazed on his right ear when a 20-year-old gunman opened fire from a nearby rooftop while the Republican presidential candidate was holding a campaign rally in Butler on July 13.
One person in the audience was killed and the gunman, Thomas Crooks, was shot dead by a Secret Service sniper.