On Saturday evening, hundreds of black-tie-clad journalists, politicians, and other dignitaries packed into the Washington Hilton’s 30,000-square-foot ballroom, awaiting the start of the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner. With Donald Trump having set to attend for the first time as president, a palpable sense of unease and apprehension already hung in the air, dominating conversations in the lead-up to the annual affair.
But shortly after the dinner's proceedings got underway, shots rang out. Outside the ballroom, at the security perimeter, a man attempted to race past Secret Service before opening fire. The suspect was quickly apprehended by agents on the scene. CNN's Wolf Blitzer later said on the network's air that he was nearby and witnessed the incident unfold before him.
“All of a sudden I heard these loud, very loud, very scary gunshots right near me. Next thing I knew, a police officer threw me to the ground and was on top of me,” Blitzer said.
Inside the ballroom, it was not immediately clear what was happening. "At first, I thought a waiter dropped tray tables," one attendee told me. But seconds later, it became clear gunshots had been fired. Attendees immediately took shelter under tables as the Secret Service stationed inside the room leapt into action, whisking away to safety Trump, cabinet officials, and other dignitaries.
The throngs of Washington journalists soon got to work. CNN's Brian Stelter pulled out his phone and began broadcasting live on the network from inside the ballroom. Others went live on social media platforms, describing to followers the chaos unfolding before their very eyes. By the end of the night, a good number of these journalists—many of whom had been rattled by what they had just lived through—had fanned out across Washington to cover the shooting, heading to their respective bureaus and returning to the White House to cover Trump's briefing.
Suffice to say, the incident raises serious questions about the security for the annual dinner, where most of Washington's most powerful gather in one place each year, making the event an obvious target for would-be evildoers.
To gain entry into the Hilton, guests must only show a ticket for the dinner or one of the many receptions held ahead of it. Enforcement at this outer checkpoint is often lax, allowing most people to pass through the initial security perimeter. A more thorough Secret Service screening takes place at the primary checkpoint outside the ballroom, where guests pass through magnetometers and send items like cell phones through scanners.
Those security precautions will almost certainly face scrutiny in the coming days, and it is hard to see how they will not be considerably boosted in the future—especially with authorities saying the suspect was heavily armed with multiple weapons. While the perimeter around the dinner ultimately held, government officials including acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and acting ICE director Todd Lyons attended pre-receptions in the first security perimeter, with far less security.
Weijia Jiang, president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, took the stage before 10 p.m. to address the incident with those still in the room. "I said earlier tonight that journalism is a public service because when there is an emergency, we run to the crisis, not away from it," Jiang said. "And on a night when we are thinking about the freedoms of the First Amendment, we must also think about how fragile they are."
At the White House, Trump said he will work with the WHCA to reschedule the dinner within the next 30 days. Of course, the dinner that will now take place sometime in the future will carry a much different tone than the one initially planned.
Donald Trump holds a press briefing at the White House following a shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. (Photo by Mandel Ngan / AFP via Getty Images)
Donald Trump spoke from the White House briefing room following the shooting at the correspondents’ dinner, calling the suspect a “would-be assassin” who was armed with “multiple weapons.” [BBC]
Trump said the Secret Service officer who was shot by the suspect was wearing a bulletproof vest and is “doing great."
Trump said he was ready to deliver “the most inappropriate speech ever made” to the dinner in front of hundreds of journalists and dignitaries. "I was all set to really rip it, and I said to my people, 'this would be the most inappropriate speech ever made' if I said so,” he said.
Notably, Trump called on Weijia Jiang to ask the first question during the briefing.
Security footage from the Washington Hilton showed the suspect sprinting through a security checkpoint before being tackled by officers. He was identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California. A motive was not immediately known. [NYT]
The suspect was armed with a shotgun, handgun and multiple knives, interim D.C. police chief Jeffery Carroll said. He was a guest at the Hilton. [CNN]
C-SPAN chief Sam Feist told our Natalie Korach that the network’s on-site control room “was actually right near where the shooter was, so our director and technicians in our control room heard the shots. They heard police say, ‘Get down!’ They got down, and yet, the cameras inside were still going out to C span and the other networks.”
Feist: “Interestingly, one of our photographers in the room is a veteran photographer from the Iraq War. And his name is Mo and he never stopped shooting his camera, pointing it first toward the president, and then toward the room. And C-SPAN stayed on the entire time. I’m incredibly proud of this team. They did a remarkable job. They were witnesses to a news event that nobody expected.”
CNN chief Mark Thompson sent a memo to staffers: “We know this was a frightening and disruptive situation for those in the room, and for your colleagues and loved ones watching live on CNN. Moments like this can stay with you in ways that aren't necessarily immediate or obvious.” Thompson added, “It's perfectly okay to step back and to talk to someone if you need to.”
“I also want to recognize the team's response in real time, and in particular acknowledge our colleague Wolf Blitzer, who was in close proximity when the incident occurred and—this is Wolf we're talking about—started reporting on it as soon as he could,” Thompson wrote. “Even under difficult and uncertain circumstances, this team moved quickly, thoughtfully, and with the professionalism that defines
this organization.”
CBS News boss Bari Weiss also sent out a memo to staffers: “We went to the Hilton tonight excited to celebrate the power of the press. We had no expectation of becoming the news ourselves.”
“When the commotion started, the room seemed momentarily upside down. But instantly our journalists took out their phones, ran toward the chaos, started filming, started calling, trying to document and make sense of what we just saw,” Weiss wrote. “You can see that footage right now on CBS News, where we went live almost immediately with a Special Report. This is what we do. Most importantly: we are thankful that everyone is safe.”
UFC boss Dana White, who attended the dinner, said “it was fucking awesome. I took every minute of it in, and it was a crazy and unique experience.” [USA Today]
At a Substack event taking place during the dinner, attendees were told to shelter inside after the shooting, per Jim Acosta, who was attending.
NBC and MS NOW decided to continue on with their after-party events across town following the shooting.
“While tonight’s event won’t be what we originally intended, we still think it is important to provide a space for friends and colleagues to be together,” MS NOW said.
The after parties, which are usually packed with guests, were far less attended than normal, per Korach.
The brunches will go on, too: CNN and POLITICO will continue with plans to hold their annual Sunday post-WHCD gatherings, we’re told.
The blame game is already beginning: Kari Lake told Newsmax that she lambasted Jake Tapper after the shooting. “These reporters have spent a decade spreading absolute lies about President Trump. They share some of the blame for what happened tonight.”
Conspiracy theories are also circulating. “#Staged,” was one of the top trending topics on Elon Musk’s X following the shooting.
Karoline Leavitt's pre-dinner remarks about "shots" being "fired" at the dinner were also widely circulated. [The Wrap]
