It sounded like the muffled popping of champagne corks in rapid succession, but no one opens bottles that fast. The noises reverberated from the hotel foyer and through the open main door into the Washington Hilton ballroom, where I was seated at one of the tables closest to the entrance.
Evening Descends into Chaos
With my dinner companions, I was in the middle of starting a sweepstake on how long President Trump would speak and guessing which news outlet he would roast the most. 'I think he's going to speak for…' someone began, trailing off as the shots broke out. We stared at the open doorway, wondering if a lunatic would burst through and start firing.
Diving for the floor, I squashed under the table with several other guests, sending the remnants of our burrata salad starters flying. Wine glasses tumbled, a woman nearby lost her heels, chairs overturned, and half-empty bottles rolled across the carpet. For several moments, lying under the table, we looked at each other in silence, wondering if more shots would follow. Then, lifting a flap of the white tablecloth, I saw armed men storm through the doorway. They ran past our table and down the aisle, clambering over other tables and past prone dinner guests.
Suspect Apprehended
As they grabbed a man with grey hair, my first thought was that he must be the shooter, but he turned out to be a high-profile politician. At the other end of the room, the President had been bundled out, pushed so hard by a Secret Service agent that he almost fell over. Several gunshots rang out as panicked attendees immediately ducked under their tables. A few journalists stayed seated or knelt, filming the chaos. Cole Tomas Allen, 31, is thought to have been targeting members of the Trump administration when he charged into the ballroom on Saturday night. He was tackled to the ground and arrested.
What appeared to be agents in night goggles now stood on the dais where the President had been sitting, pointing their weapons toward the diners. An uneasy silence hung over the cavernous room, with occasional heads poking out from under tables. Someone shouted 'USA' and tried to start a chant, but it fell flat. I hesitated to get my phone out to film, fearing the agents might mistake it for a gun. Instead, I moved from under the table and walked to the main entrance, through which the sound of shots had come. It was now closed, with a security guard in black standing in front of it.
Mike Bell, the guard, told me: 'You can't go out, there's a man down out there on the other side of the door. I don't know if he's dead. Secret Service are cleaning it up. It's up one flight of steps where the magnetometers [security metal detectors] are. I heard the shots and got down. I don't know how many shots there were. After they came in, a Secret Service guy tapped me on the shoulder and told me to lock this door. I got here and could smell the gunfire on the other side. I know what that smells like. I normally work the magnetometers, but the Secret Service took that over tonight. I don't know what side of the mag the shooter was on.'
Officials Escorted Out
Soon, agents were rushing top officials up the aisle, passing within a few feet of my table, and out another exit. Pete Hegseth, the War Secretary, was among the first, striding out with a face like thunder. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose father Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in a hotel, looked grim. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent seemed determined, while FBI Director Kash Patel remained calm amid the chaos. Patel, a guest of the Daily Mail alongside his girlfriend, country singer Alexis Wilkins, had told others at the table to get down when the shots rang out. When it was safe to stand, Patel and Wilkins asked bystanders if they were OK before being escorted out by his security detail.
Rumors and Security Concerns
In a room full of journalists, rumors immediately spread like wildfire. Was it even gunshots at all? Some speculated it could have been prank sounds from a tape recorder. Others heard it was an Iranian terrorist, while more pointed fingers at noisy anti-war protesters outside the hotel. But soon, all anyone asked was how the gunman got so close. There is no doubt that security at the event was sorely lacking. I was amazed that I hadn't had to show any ID to enter the venue. All that was required was to flash a paper ticket vaguely at a security guard when entering the parking lot. Anyone staying at the hotel did not even need that; they simply showed a room key card.
From the car park, I walked inside and did not have to show a ticket again until I reached an escalator, where one security person attempted to check several tickets a second. The first and only set of magnetometers was separated from the main ballroom entrance by one short flight of stairs leading down to it. If a gunman had gotten past the magnetometers, he could have been into the ballroom in just a few seconds. Presidential appearances at the White House Correspondents' Dinner go back decades, and the security operation should be a well-oiled machine. Yet, during a time when the US is at war with Iran, checks appeared minimal. Both Trump and Vice President JD Vance were at the event, further questioning why security was not tighter. When the event is rerun in 30 days, it will have to be.
