Shots fired. Guests ducking for cover. Secret Service with guns drawn. Washington Times correspondent John T. Seward was inside the ballroom when chaos erupted at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
I’m John T. Seward, Defense and National Security Correspondent with The Washington Times. I’m here at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in the Washington Hilton Ballroom.
We are seeing most of the main dining area actually being cleared out after the dinner was effectively canceled.
There were several shots fired outside of the dinner just moments ago. The guests were ducking under tables, crouching down into aisles as U.S. Marshals and Secret Service flooded into the room to both remove President Donald Trump as well as Vice President Vance and a very healthy portion of the cabinet. This would normally be considered a national security event with all of those members of both the administration and some members of Congress here in attendance. But the security was essentially an invitation from the White House Correspondents Association and a single metal detector as you entered the ballroom for dinner.
President Trump was evacuated. Secret Service with guns drawn rushed into the room and essentially bypassed all of the guests, moving to those members of the political class. Mr. Trump was whisked offstage along with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who was seen limping, although President Trump has since posted that there were no injuries to either himself or his cabinet.
One of the attendees, specifically for The Washington Times, General Chance Saltzman, was in attendance with us. He was also led out of the ballroom with other administration officials. Less than 20 feet from the tables that The Washington Times was hosting, FBI Director Kash Patel was held by his personal security detail until the marshals have secured an exit for him as well. And he exited out of the far side of the room. There are those doors that you see over my shoulder that are open.
The event has been postponed. President Trump has said he wants to see this event recommence inside of 30 days and that he wants to re-attend. He actually initially posted that he was going to come back into the ballroom after being told it was secure, but that did not end up transpiring. This is the first White House Correspondents’ Dinner that the president has ever attended in either of his terms as president.
No instructions were given to the rest of the guests and dignitaries, including senators, U.S. representatives, a number of foreign ambassadors.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we need you to leave the presence of the ballroom. Make your way out of the ballroom and from the facility. Thank you.”
And that’s our call to leave.
But essentially, Secret Service had only created a perimeter around the building, along with Capitol Police and the U.S. Marshals Service. But, like I said earlier, it was essentially just a ticket from the White House Correspondents Association, along with passing through one metal detector as far as security here for the president.
More to follow from both The Washington Times National Security Team as well as the White House team.
Thanks for tuning in and prayers to everyone.
