The White House Correspondents’ Dinner (WHCD) is typically an event in which journalists, politicians, and the sitting President at that time get together for a night that celebrates press freedom with speeches and satire.
However, on Saturday, April 25 at the Washington Hilton in D.C., chaos unfurled when a shooting disrupted the WHCD, with Zuffa Boxing and UFC boss Dana White present, later describing to USA Today what he saw with people “getting noisy, tables getting flipped over, and guys running in with guns.”
At the time of publication, no confirmed motive had been publicly established and the incident remains under investigation. At least one Secret Service agent was hit, though a bulletproof vest saved his life. The agent is expected to recover, according to The Guardian. The suspect was shot and killed, per CBS News.
President Donald Trump, meanwhile, was evacuated immediately by Secret Service. He was confirmed uninjured and safe, along with the First Lady, Melania Trump, and other senior officials, according to Reuters.
One of Trump’s close friends, White, gave the following breakdown of the scene:
“They were screaming, ‘Get down.’ I didn’t get down. It was f****** awesome. I literally took every minute of in, and it was a pretty crazy, unique experience.”
— Dana White on The White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting
“We were sitting right in front of the table,” White added. “Right in front of where the President was.
“Nobody got tackled but guys came in looking for shooters. They came to our table and I thought the shooter was over by us, or something.”
Watch White’s reaction right here:
Multiple sources from The Washington Post to Reuters say security contained the situation quickly. And, despite the gunfire, no deaths are confirmed, the president is safe, and the threat was neutralized.
