What does the White House dinner shooting mean for Trump?
The Take
Al Jazeera
4.7 • 747 Ratings
🗓️ 26 April 2026
⏱️ 22 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Gunshots shattered the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, throwing Washington’s biggest night into chaos. We unpack how it happened, who the suspect is, how security responded, and what US President Donald Trump said afterward. We also examine the fallout and what it reveals about a White House under pressure. So what happens next?
In this episode:
- Chris Sheridan (@ChrisSheridan34), Senior White House Producer, Al Jazeera English
Episode credits:
This episode was produced by David Enders, Sarí el-Khalili, and our guest host, Kevin Hirten. It was edited by Sarí el-Khalili. Alex Roldan is our sound designer.
The Take production team is Marcos Bartolomé, Sonia Bhagat, Spencer Cline, Sarí el-Khalili, Tamara Khandaker, Chloe K. Li, Alexandra Locke, Catherine Nouhan, Alex Roldan, and Noor Wazwaz. Our host is Malika Bilal.
Our editorial intern is Tuleen Barakat. Our engagement producers are Adam Abou-Gad and Vienna Maglio. Andrew Greiner is lead of audience engagement. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer.
Connect with us:
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Al Jazeera Podcasts. |
| 0:07.0 | Today, shots fired during Washington's glitziest night. |
| 0:14.0 | The sound of their gunfire heard in the room where Donald Trump was attending a gala dinner. |
| 0:19.0 | The president rushed off the stage, armed agents replacing him. |
| 0:22.6 | Their guns poised and ready. |
| 0:26.4 | From the ballroom panic to the White House's response, |
| 0:30.5 | what does this attack reveal about politics, security, |
| 0:34.8 | and a presidency facing gunfire once again. |
| 0:39.2 | I'm Kevin Horton, and this is the take. |
| 0:48.0 | Hi, so before we continue with today's show, remember to leave us a comment telling us what |
| 0:53.2 | you think about this episode. |
| 0:54.8 | We do read them and it helps us make better shows in the future. |
| 0:58.0 | What do you think about this shooting? |
| 0:59.5 | Do you have any theories about the gunman's motive? |
| 1:02.1 | And remember, if you're on your favorite podcast app, it always helps to leave us a five-star rating that does help the show. |
| 1:08.0 | This was my, I believe, my 12th White House, |
| 1:12.1 | 11th White House correspondents dinner. |
| 1:15.3 | I don't think I'll ever forget this one. |
| 1:17.2 | It's pretty hard to forget when you're in the middle of a shooting. |
| 1:21.1 | So there have been a lot of memorable ones. |
| 1:23.1 | This is the biggest night of the year for Washington, D.C. |
| 1:26.8 | And I don't think any other journalists in that room will ever forget that as well. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Al Jazeera, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Al Jazeera and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.