White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt promised there would be “shots fired” in President Donald Trump’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner speech minutes before real gunfire erupted at the gala.
“[Trump] is ready to rumble,” Leavitt, 28, told Fox News on the red carpet at the Washington Hilton on Saturday, April 25. “I will tell you, this speech tonight will be classic Donald J. Trump.”
She then declared, “[The speech] will be funny. It will be entertaining. There will be some shots fired tonight in the room.”
Leavitt — who is pregnant — was evacuated from the Washington Hilton ballroom moments later alongside Donald, 79, first lady Melania Trump and other administration officials when shots rang out near the venue’s “main magnetometer”, per the Secret Service.
Washington D.C. law enforcement officials confirmed that a 31-year-old man from California was apprehended during the shooting incident and has been charged with two counts of using a firearm and one count of assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon. (The suspect’s motives and condition remain unknown.)
A Secret Service agent was shot during the crossfire. The president later confirmed in a news conference that the injured agent was recovering in the hospital.
“The vest did its job. I just spoke to the officer and he’s doing great,” he told reporters.
Saturday’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner was supposed to be a temporary farewell for Leavitt because she is expected to deliver her second child very soon. (Leavitt and her husband, Nicholas Riccio, also share a son, Niko, who was born in July 2024.)
“This will likely be my last gaggle for some time,” she told reporters on Friday, April 24. “As you can see, I’m about ready to have a baby any minute, so I will see you guys very soon.”
She added, “I know you’ll be in good hands with my team here at the White House. And I know all of you have the president’s phone number personally, so I have no doubt that you will have no shortage of statements and news from this building while I’m gone.”
However, Leavitt was unexpectedly thrust back onto the job following the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner dinner as she personally confirmed that Trump planned to hold a press conference late Saturday night.
During his remarks, Trump said he was “honored to be a target” despite multiple attempts on his life in the last few years. (Trump survived being shot in the ear during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July 2024. Another suspected shooter was apprehended at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, in September 2024.)
“When you look at our great presidents, [this] doesn’t happen to people who don’t do anything,” Trump said.
The star-studded guest list for Saturday’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner included Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk, whose late husband, conservative activist Charlie Kirk, was fatally shot at age 31 in September 2025. CNN reported that she was seen crying and telling aides she “just want[ed] to leave” following the shooting.
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