The aftermath of the shooting that sent Secret Service agents rushing President Trump from the stage at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on Saturday night played out on social media as videos of the chaotic and surreal scenes were widely shared.
The investigation into the motive of the shooter, who two officers identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, is ongoing. He was taken into custody after going through security and exchanging gunfire with authorities.
In a ballroom packed with hundreds of reporters who cover the White House, many sprung into action with their cell phones and television news cameras to capture what happened.
“Shots will be fired tonight”
In a clip that was widely shared, Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, the Tech Word News reporter said happily before the dinner, that the president’s speech “will be classic Donald J. Trump.”
“It’s going to be fun,” she said. “It’s going to be fun.”
And she added: “There’s going to be a few gunshots in the room tonight. So everyone better tune in. It’s going to be really cool.”
The clip prompted questions about the authenticity of the filming and whether her comment was some kind of terrifying foreshadowing. One social media user said of the clip: “So this has aged badly.”
‘It was the most surreal thing’
CBS News Correspondent Matt Gutman on his Instagram Stories shared his video it was taken by CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins, in which he got up from his desk and recorded the impact as he tried to understand what was happening.
He also captured the chaotic moment outside the Washington Hilton as law enforcement officers rushed by.
“Secret service, men with long guns, submachine gun,” he said as the glare of police lights flashed across his face. “We didn’t hear the gunshots near the stage, but we saw what happened, everyone took cover. Um, silence in the crowd. Security was pouring in. It was the most surreal thing.”
“Inside this room was pure chaos”
Shortly after the shooting, CNN’s Ms. Collins she shared her view from the main aisle of the hotel’s ballroom, where she stood calmly, describing “where we saw Secret Service agents hurrying down the aisle to evacuate the president and many members of his cabinet who were scattered around the room during dinner.”
“As it happened, it was pure chaos in the room,” she added, pointing to her desk “which was not far away” from where dozens of agents descended with “massive weapons.”
“Man Eats Salad”
Brian Stelter, CNN Senior Media Analyst, shared a video Creative Artists Agency agent Michael Glantz and said “there’s a man eating a salad in this viral video.”
Mr. Glantz appears to be calmly munching alone at the table while another guest crouches on the floor nearby, and a reporter can be heard in the background rattling off the names of the top officials who attended the event.
“They refill the water glasses”
Jonathan Karl, ABC News’ chief Washington correspondent, described how some of the barriers in the ballroom knocked down by agents were rebuilt and then. he turned his attention to the waiters at the head table on the stage where the President, First Lady Melania Trump and their guests had previously sat.
“They’re actually refilling the water glasses,” he said with a light laugh, “so it looks like this dinner might actually be reviving after that incredibly scary moment.” (The dinner was canceled after the shooting and will be rescheduled, according to Mr. Trump.)
“They had a really rough night too”
Eena Ruffini, an anchor at Bloomberg, thanked the security and especially the service staff at the hotel.
She described how some of themAs they cleared the tables, “they were shaking, some were crying.”
“No one asked how they were doing,” she said.
“Please remember that there were hundreds of waiters and bus boys and catering assistants and all the back-of-the-house staff that help with these events,” she said. “And they had a really rough night too. So if you see them, thank them and please keep them in mind as we tell the story over the next few weeks.”
