Armed guards opened fire at the gunman who charged through security screening just outside the ballroom of the hotel, where Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, many senior government officials and hundreds of other black-tie guests had gathered.

People dived under tables in chaotic scenes as Secret Service teams swarmed into the black-tie White House Correspondents’ Dinner held annually at the Washington Hilton in the US capital.

“A man charged a security checkpoint armed with multiple weapons, and he was taken down by some very brave members of the Secret Service,” Trump told a press conference at the White House shortly after the incident.

“They seem to think he was a lone wolf, and I feel that too,” he said, after posting video of the gunman sprinting past security as guards drew their weapons and opened fire. The man was detained at the scene.

Trump said one officer was shot at close range but appeared to not be seriously injured. He added that the venue was “not a particularly secure” facility as questions swirled about the president’s safety after repeated security lapses.

Trump said at a hastily arranged news conference at the White House that he first thought the noise was a tray being dropped before he realized it was gunfire, and he described the suspect as a “would-be assassin”.

He said he planned to re-schedule the media gala within a month despite the security scare.