Oz Pearlman, the mentalist who hosted the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner, was performing a trick and trying to guess the name of press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s baby when there was a loud crack.
President Donald Trump was on the main stage along with First Lady Melania Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
Secret Service agents immediately rushed down the main aisle and more appeared to chase the president out of the room while other dinner guests hid under tables.
At first, many of the dignitaries seemed oblivious to the threat outside the ballroom until security started yelling, “Get down!” and “Lie on the ground!”
Trump, along with other people on the main stage, cowered under a stage table until he was evacuated.
Speaking to reporters later, Trump said, “I heard a noise and I kind of thought it was a tray, a tray falling.”
More agents came running from the edges of the room wearing body armor and holding long guns, climbing over chairs to pull out government officials and other VIPs.
Agents chased out Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio calmly left the scene.
As panic spread among the gala guests, a member of Trump’s security guard told them that the attacker never entered the ballroom — and that Trump said he would like to return to the event when the situation was resolved.
Someone yelled, “USA!” but the singing quickly faded away.
After the VIPs were chased out, the giant hall suddenly became quiet, but the visitors were mostly unaware of what was happening.
Erika Kirk, whose husband Charlie Kirk was murdered last September, was among those in the audience who initially took shelter along with other attendees.
The Washington Hilton’s massive basement ballroom is a notoriously bad zone for cellphone signals, so reporters and administration officials will be wondering if Vance and Trump are OK. One administration official showed a video of Trump being knocked down.
For at least 30 minutes, it was unclear whether the dinner would continue and whether Trump would deliver his speech. The presence of the White House seal on stage encouraged some guests that Trump would return, and the president actually pushed for it to go ahead.
Nearly an hour after Trump was kicked out, he posted on social media that he would be returning to the White House for a news conference.
“I have spoken with all the representatives responsible for the event and we will change the date within 30 days,” he wrote.
As guests were directed to the escalators, law enforcement officers were seen in an emotional embrace in the hallway.
With help from Jordan Fabian, Michelle Jamrisko and Justin Sink.
This article was generated from an automated news agency source without text modification.
