By Mukesh 
It was meant to be a glitzy Saturday (April 25, 2026) night at a Washington ballroom featuring President Donald Trump, but the glamour was shattered by gunshots that left guests diving to the floor and the U.S. leader bundled out by security personnel.
Mr. Trump was seated on the dais at the White House Correspondents’ Association’s annual dinner — the first time he is attending as President — when loud bangs disrupted the revelry and caused him and others on stage to look up in alarm.
Video captured by AFPTV, other news outlets, and AFP reporters attending the event showed a chaotic scene unfolding.
Moments after what sounded like gunshots, cries of “Stay down!” and “Get down!” were heard while guests, including correspondents, officials in the Trump administration and some members of his cabinet took cover.
Amid the chaos, the President was quickly surrounded by US Secret Service personnel, their weapons drawn, and they quickly rushed Mr. Trump off the stage and through a back curtain as the crowd crouched in shock.
– AFP