The president told reporters that the first lady “knew immediately what happened” when gunfire was heard during the dinner and said, “That’s a bad noise”

NEED TO KNOW

• First lady Melania Trump is marking her 56th birthday on Sunday, April 26

• Her birthday comes one day after she and her husband, President Donald Trump, were rushed out of the 2026 White House Correspondents’ Dinner by Secret Service agents after an alleged gunman opened fire inside the hotel venue

• Donald later told reporters that it was a “traumatic experience” for his wife

Melania Trump is marking her 56th birthday.

The first lady’s birthday comes after her husband, President Donald Trump, spoke to reporters about her reaction to the shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday night, April 25.

During a press conference just over an hour after the incident, Donald, 79, recalled how Melania “knew immediately what happened” and declared, “That’s a bad noise,” when the alleged gunman — whom law enforcement officials have identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen — fired shots inside the Washington Hilton venue.

“Melania was cognizant,” Donald said. “It was a rather traumatic experience for her.”

He said his wife has always been aware of the safety threats associated with his role as president.

“The first lady was doing a terrific job. She loves the country. She recognizes it better than any,” Donald continued. “But she told me numerous times, she said, ‘You are in a dangerous job.’ “

The shooting incident marked the third possible attempt on Donald’s life, after he was shot in the ear at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania in July 2024 and had an assassination attempt at his Florida golf course in September 2024.

At Saturday night’s press dinner, Donald and Melania were sitting onstage shortly after the start of the dinner when live footage showed Secret Service agents entering the ballroom and quickly escorting the president out of the room. The other prominent figures onstage — including Melania, Vice President JD Vance and pregnant press secretary Karoline Leavitt — were also seen on camera being removed from the ballroom.

PEOPLE’s reporter inside the dinner said that attendees hid under tables shortly after the disruption occurred.

On Melania’s birthday last year, the president and first lady spent time in Vatican City for the late Pope Francis’ funeral. Despite the solemn occasion, a social source told PEOPLE at the time that Melania, a “quiet” Catholic, had “no issue” spending the day mourning the pontiff instead of celebrating.

“She respected the pope,” the source said. “It is a sad time for Catholics around the world, and the first lady is honored to go to the funeral.”

In recent weeks, the president has locked horns with Francis’ successor, Pope Leo XIV, over the pontiff’s criticism of the Iran war.

The White House did not immediately respond to emailed questions about its plans for Melania’s birthday this year.

The notoriously private first lady has celebrated her past several birthdays with intimate gatherings at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla. “Melania likes a low-key celebration with family,” a source told PEOPLE in 2023.

During her husband’s first administration, Melania spent most of her birthdays working at the White House. This year, she is preparing for a major state visit, as King Charles and Queen Camilla are scheduled to visit Washington on Monday, April 27.

“A bad noise.”

That was first lady Melania Trump’s first reaction, according to her husband, to hearing gunshots outside the ballroom where she and President Donald Trump were seated onstage for Saturday’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

She straightened, eyes ahead, as law enforcement rushed toward the dais, then crouched under the table before being escorted out of the room to a secure location with the president and his staff.

It marked the first time Melania Trump, who has closely guarded her privacy and independence in her second term, has been alongside her husband when he has been aggressively evacuated by the Secret Service. She has said she learned about the 2024 assassination attempts against him in Butler, Pennsylvania, and at a West Palm Beach, Florida, golf course from watching TV while in a different city from her husband.

“I’ve been through this before a couple of times, and she has not — to this extent. She handled it great,” Donald Trump told CBS News’ “60 Minutes” on Sunday.

On the eve of her 56th birthday, the first lady — who’s long been concerned about security — recognized the danger she might face, her usual stoicism giving way to a look of surprise and distress.

The president, who had told reporters that it was “a rather traumatic experience” for his wife, was asked Sunday whether she had been scared.

“I don’t want to say, and people don’t like having it said that they were scared, but certainly, I mean, who wouldn’t be when you have a situation like that?” he told CBS.

Trump added that he saw a video of the scene and watched a close-up shot of the first lady’s reaction.

“She looked very upset about what just took place. Why not?” he said.

Melania Trump had been in the room for 18 minutes before that “bad noise.” Seated between her husband and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who’s expecting her second child, she’d been watching mentalist Oz Pearlman — the entertainer for the evening — guess the name of Leavitt’s new baby.

President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and CBS News’ Weijia Jiang attend the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington, DC, on April 25, 2026.

Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

As Pearlman, leaning over between the Trumps, held up name cards in his magic trick, Melania Trump suddenly looked aghast, mouth open, seemingly realizing before those around her that all was not all right.

“I was performing right then for the president, the press secretary and the first lady. It’s kind of like a pivotal moment in the trick when you’re just about to do the reveal — like ‘wow.’ And we hear commotion,” Pearlman recalled Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” with Dana Bash.

Roughly two hours later, the first lady, visibly shaken, appeared publicly in the White House briefing room for the first time, joining the president for his remarks to reporters.

After the Butler shooting, she issued a two-page statement calling for unity, love and kindness over politics. On Saturday, the first lady let the president do the talking.

Her team, a source familiar said, is holding up well and grateful to law enforcement for their quick action Saturday night, which was her husband’s first time attending the annual dinner as president, and hers as first lady.

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But security has been top of mind for Melania Trump since that Butler incident, underscored in one of the more dramatic moments of her eponymous documentary, “Melania.”

“How does this area get secure?” she asked during a briefing on the inaugural parade.

“Is it safe? Because if we go out, I think people will already know where we would go out. So it’s kind of like, how could that be safe, especially with the last year, what’s going on and stuff?”

She continued: “I have concerns, honestly.”

This week, the first lady will be in the spotlight once again as the Trumps welcome King Charles III and Queen Camilla to the White House for an official state visit, carrying on with their plans despite the events of this weekend.

Melania Blames Husband’s Sworn TV Enemy for WHCA Shooting

Melania Trump has launched an extraordinary attack on late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, accusing him of promoting hateful and violent rhetoric after he joked about her having the “glow of an expectant widow.”

The comments were made on Kimmel’s show last Thursday, when he parodied the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

Two days later, a gunman stormed the event, in the third apparent assassination attempt against President Donald Trump in two years.

However, writing on X, the first lady sought to tie Kimmel to the attack on Saturday night, describing him as a “coward” seeking to divide the country.

“His monologue about my family isn’t comedy- his words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America,” she wrote.

“People like Kimmel shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate. A coward, Kimmel hides behind ABC because he knows the network will keep running cover to protect him.

“Enough is enough. It is time for ABC to take a stand. How many times will ABC’s leadership enable Kimmel’s atrocious behavior at the expense of our community.”

The comments tap into a longer-running grievance from MAGA-world toward Kimmel, whose comedy monologues have often targeted Donald Trump and his allies.

In 2025, the talk show host sparked a major conservative backlash for his commentary about MAGA’s reaction to the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, which led to his suspension.

But the latest clash comes against the backdrop of a shocking security breach on Saturday night at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington.

The alleged gunman, identified by authorities as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, attempted to storm the event at the Washington Hilton before being subdued by Secret Service agents.

One agent was struck in a bulletproof vest, and attendees—including journalists and senior administration officials—were forced to take cover as chaos unfolded.

Investigators say the suspect managed to get unusually close to the ballroom by exploiting gaps in the event’s layered security, including access through the hotel itself and a stairwell that allowed him to bypass parts of the screening process.

The fact that the gunman had been staying at the hotel has fueled questions about whether the venue’s dual role as a public space undermined security protocols.

And Allen also mocked an “insane” lack of security at the Washington dinner in an alleged manifesto reportedly sent to his family 10 minutes before his assault started.

“I walk in with multiple weapons and not a single person there considers the possibility that I could be a threat,” the suspect reportedly wrote as he expressed hostility to Trump and his administration.

Trump and his supporters immediately used the event to make another pitch for his pet vanity project.

“This event would never have happened with the Militarily Top Secret Ballroom currently under construction at the White House. It cannot be built fast enough!” the president said in the aftermath of the attack.

MAGA acolytes also called for Kimmel to be axed over his days-old joke.

“Fire Jimmy Kimmel!” wrote Trump supporter Gunther Eagleman.

Larry O’Connor, editor of conservative outlet Townhall, also weighed in, calling Kimmel a “broken man” and declaring on X: “@disney, you have a problem.”

Political commentator Link Lauren, a senior aide for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during his 2024 presidential election campaign, added, “Many in the mainstream media have stoked division and hatred for years. Jimmy Kimmel just made a disgusting ‘joke’ about Melania Trump becoming a widow. After the White House Correspondents’ Dinner and what transpired with President Trump, now they suddenly want to act shocked.”

Trump Rails at Dog Walker in A.M. Rant After Dinner Shooting

President Donald Trump began his Sunday by using the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner to demand that opposition to his planned ballroom “immediately” be dropped.

The 79-year-old president took to Truth Social to rage against the lawsuit holding up his East Wing eyesore, claiming the “ridiculous” legal challenge was brought by a “woman walking her dog, who has absolutely No Standing to bring such a suit.”

He then demanded that the suit, which was actually brought by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, be dropped. A federal judge ruled last month that the $400 million ballroom project can’t continue without congressional approval, though he said actions necessary for the “safety and security” of the White House were an exception—leading Trump and his allies to begin framing the construction as a matter of national security.

“Nothing should be allowed to interfere with with its construction, which is on budget and substantially ahead of schedule!!!” Trump wrote Sunday.