- President Zardari termed the incident as “heinous act of terrorism”.
- Prime Minister Shehbaz said he was “deeply shocked” by the incident.
- Japan’s prime minister says violence can never be tolerated anywhere.
President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other world leaders have expressed relief after President Donald Trump, the First Lady and other attendees were reported safe following a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, DC.
Shots were fired near the venue at the Washington Hilton hotel during the annual political media event, prompting security to evacuate Trump, his wife, US Vice President JD Vance and other senior officials. The shooter has been arrested.
The man fired a shotgun at a Secret Service agent at a checkpoint at the Washington Hilton hotel before being tackled and arrested.
It was not immediately clear whether Trump was the target of the attack, although he told reporters he believed he was. The president has survived two previous attempts on his life since 2024, a period of deepening political polarization in the United States.
In a post on X, President Zardari’s office condemned the shooting, calling it a “brutal act of terrorism” while expressing relief that President Trump and the First Lady were unharmed.
“President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, expressed relief that President Trump and the First Lady are safe and called the incident a heinous act of terrorism.”
Prime Minister Shehbaz said he was “deeply shocked” by the incident and expressed relief at the safety of all participants, adding prayers for continued safety and well-being.
“Deeply shocked by the disturbing shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in Washington, DC a short time ago,” he wrote on X.
“Relieved to know that President Trump, the First Lady and other attendees are safe. My thoughts and prayers are with him and I wish him continued safety and well-being.”
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed relief, saying violence has no place in a democracy and must be unequivocally condemned.
“Relieved to hear that President Trump, First Lady and Vice President are safe and unharmed after the recent security incident at a hotel in Washington DC,” Modi wrote on social media.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi called the incident terrifying and stressed that violence can never be tolerated anywhere in the world.
I am relieved to hear that President Trump is safe after the horrific shooting. Violence must never be tolerated anywhere in the world.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum echoed similar sentiments, welcoming the news that President Trump and his wife are safe and stressing that violence should never be the answer.
“It’s great that President Trump and his wife are doing well after recent events. We send our respects. Violence should never be the way to go.”
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed relief when he heard that all participants were safe. “We applaud the work of the intelligence and law enforcement agencies for their swift action,” he said.
