Following the shooting on Sunday night at the White House Correspondents Association Dinner in Washington, there have been reports about lax security at the event.
As reported by the New York Times on Saturday night, the president posted a video online of “a man running past the security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton, where the dinner was being held. In the video, agents drew their guns and appeared to start firing.” The suspect was taken alive and arrested and later charged with a pair of crimes: Using a firearm during a crime of violence, and assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon, although more charges are possible.
“There was a heavy police presence outside the Washington Hilton, but no security screening required to enter the hotel. There were numerous pre-parties hosted on various floors of the hotel, as well as a red carpet,” the Times reported. “However, to enter the ballroom where the dinner was being held, all attendees were required to go through magnetometers and have any bags checked. T.S.A. agents were among those involved in the security checks.”
One member of Congress complained about the security setup:
No security screening was required to enter an event featuring the President of the United States, the Speaker of the House, Cabinet Secretaries, and Members of Congress?
This failure of even the most basic security protocols—as inexplicable as it is inexcusable—demands an… pic.twitter.com/e88kzkycvu
— Ritchie Torres (@RitchieTorres) April 26, 2026
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Also, an Axios reporter noted that many attendees are without their coats, and likely will be for a while:
a little wrinkle for WHCD attendees: anyone who checked a coat is not going to be able to get it back until after the investigation is over, law enforcement tells me. our coats are part of an active crime scene
— Andrew Solender (@AndrewSolender) April 26, 2026
The president, in his remarks, used the events of the evening as an argument for his ballroom project. However, because the annual WHCA is hosted by the White House Correspondents Association, and not by the White House itself, there’s little reason to think the dinner, which has long been held at the Washington Hilton, would be held at the ballroom instead.
In addition, the assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan in 1981 took place outside that same hotel.
Photo courtesy of an X screenshot.
