Lawmakers who were at White House Correspondents' Dinner shaken, disturbed by shooting
Source: Axios · Bias: Center Left
Summary
Members of Congress and other political figures who were present at the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday night were left deeply unsettled by a shooting that took place outside the event.The big picture: "It's a horrible, horrible moment for our country to see somebody want to attack or disrupt the event," Rep. Brian Jack (R-Ga.) told Axios while exiting the dinner, which was postponed due to the incident.Rep. Nanette Barragan (D-Calif.), who was seated near the rostrum when President Trump and other top officials were evacuated, told Axios "it's insane … that this is happening at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. Security is supposed to be top notch."Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) told Axios in a text message that he was pulled into a secure room by House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.), adding: "As a member who lives in Parkland and went to Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS I am glad everyone is okay.""It's shocking," former New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) told Axios as he was leaving the event.Driving the news: Trump was hastily evacuated from the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday night after a gunman armed with multiple weapons tried to breach security and was shot by Secret Service, federal law enforcement officials tell Axios.A suspect fired at Secret Service personnel at the event at the Washington Hilton hotel and is now in custody, a law enforcement source tells Axios. Trump praised law enforcement's swift response at a press briefing at the White House Saturday evening and insisted that the event be rescheduled within the next 30 days. Members described confusion in the initial aftermath of the incident."I saw them immediately evacuate Secretary [Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.] and I took video of that when it was happening because I thought maybe something was happening to him," Barragan told Axios."I'm just letting it all soak in," said Rep. Michael Rulli (R-Ohio) as he was leaving the hotel.Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.), in a text to Axios, blamed Democrats for the incident.The bottom line: Jack said he thinks "somebody should look into the security protocols that were adopted here.""Hopefully when we do come back within 30 days, it's a much more safe and much more secure event that enables all of us to celebrate this night," he added.
Related Coverage
- Penn Dems boot GOP Rep from House floor for patriotic suit despite encouraging ‘Pride’ attire (Far Right — BizPac Review)
- Unnerved ex-officials uncork stark analogy as Trump spy chief cleans house on 'deep state' (Far Left — Raw Story)
- This Republican Has a Wild Idea for Fixing Housing Prices: Let the Market Actually Work (Far Right — Townhall)
- Voters rage at White House 'corruption' as summer cooling bills surge (Left — Alternet.org)
- Democrats will have ‘field day’ with Trump inquiries if they win House, legal experts say (Center Left — US news | The Guardian)
- Photos of the Week: World Cup, Wine Battle, White Kimono (Center Left — The Atlantic)
- House Democrats accuse Trump’s Freedom 250 of misleading donors, potential wire fraud (Center — The Hill News)
- E Pluribus Algae: Why Green Pond Scum Is as American as Red, White and Blue (Center Left — NYT > U.S. > Politics)
Daily Analysis
Read the full Parallax Pulse for April 26, 2026 — an AI-powered analysis of how Left and Right media covered the biggest stories this day.
More Headlines From April 26, 2026
- The Guardian view on Trump and the Washington shooting: political violence and gun culture endanger all | Editorial (Center Left)
- This isn't the time to change gun laws, acting AG Blanche says (Center Left)
- Trump says Secret Service apprehended shooter at White House Correspondents' Dinner (Center Left)
- Shooter Detained at White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Says Trump (Center)
- World leaders react to WHCA dinner shooting (Center)







