WHCA dinner shooting: PM Modi relieved Trump, Melania, Vance are safe

PM Modi expressed relief after US President Donald Trump, Melania Trump, and VP JD Vance were safely evacuated following a shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. Trump later praised security and advocated for a new secure venue.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed relief on Sunday that US President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, and Vice President JD Vance were safe following the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington.

On Saturday evening (local time), suspected gunshots were reportedly fired in the lobby of the Washington Hilton, leading to the evacuation of US President Donald Trump and other senior officials from the White House Correspondents' Dinner.

PM Modi: 'Violence has no place in a democracy'

Taking to X, PM Modi condemned the attack and affirmed that "violence has no place in a democracy". He also expressed well wishes to the US President and other cabinet members present at the event.

"Relieved to learn that President Trump, the First Lady and Vice President are safe and unharmed following the recent security incident at a Washington DC hotel. I extend my best wishes for their continued safety and well-being. Violence has no place in a democracy and must be unequivocally condemned," the PM wrote.

Relieved to learn that President Trump, the First Lady and Vice President are safe and unharmed following the recent security incident at a Washington DC hotel. I extend my best wishes for their continued safety and well-being. Violence has no place in a democracy and must be… — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 26, 2026

President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, and Vice President JD Vance were immediately evacuated from the ballroom by tactical teams and moved to a secure location following the incident.

Trump praises security, addresses incident

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump heaped praise on security officers for their swift response during the shooting incident at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, while also recalling past assassination attempts on him in Pennsylvania and Florida.

Trump, while delivering remarks in the Press Briefing Room, after the shooting incident, announced that the shooter of the White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington is a resident of California and is 'sick'.

"The law enforcement and DC police just spoke with the mayor... You see the attacker in different positions, but you also see the attacker totally subdued and under control... This is not the first time in the past couple of years that our republic has been attacked by a would-be assassin who sought to kill in Butler, Pennsylvania, less than two years ago... and in Palm Beach, Florida, a few months after that, we came close. We really had, again, some great work done by law enforcement...," he said.

Calls for enhanced security with new ballroom

The US President further used the security breach at the Hilton to highlight the need for enhanced security infrastructure and to make the case for the ballroom he is constructing at the White House, suggesting that the structure would provide a more secure location for future events.

"It's not a particularly secure building, and I didn't want to say this, but this is why we have to have all of the attributes of what we're planning at the White House," Trump said during his news conference. "It's actually a larger room, and it's much more secure. It's got drone-proof. It's bulletproof glass. We need the ballroom. That's why Secret Service, that's why the military is demanding it," he added.

(ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)