Wolf Blitzer Recounts Harrowing Moments During White House Correspondents' Dinner Shooting

A shooting at the 2026 White House Correspondents' Dinner sent attendees scrambling for safety on Saturday, April 25. The incident occurred at the Washington Hilton, where gunshots rang out in the lobby area, prompting immediate evacuations from the ballroom. A suspect has been taken into custody.

Among those evacuated was former President Donald Trump, along with numerous other prominent figures and members of the media gathered for the annual event.

CNN journalist Wolf Blitzer found himself in an especially precarious position—positioned in close proximity to where the shots were fired. Speaking with his network in the immediate aftermath, the veteran broadcaster described the terrifying sequence of events.

"All of a sudden I heard these loud, very loud, very scary gunshots right near me," Blitzer recounted. "Next thing I knew, a police officer threw me to the ground and was on top of me."

The gunman was only feet away when the shooting began, according to Blitzer's account. In the chaos of the moment, uncertainty gripped him about the shooter's intentions.

"I had no idea, as I was hearing the gunshots, who this shooter was aiming at, or if he was just trying to scare everybody," he explained. "And, of course, the first thing that went through my mind was whether he was going to shoot me. It was a terrible, very frightening moment for me."

Blitzer witnessed law enforcement response unfold in real time. "I did see the gunman on the ground after he started shooting. Police officers threw him to the ground but he was still shooting. And I could hear the shots going off," he said.

The incident marked a dramatic disruption to one of Washington's most high-profile annual gatherings.