A reporter recounts the moments before and after the gunshots rang out at the annual press conference, which President Trump also attended.
Susan Page talks about the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting
USA TODAY’s Susan Page described what she saw when the shooting occurred while attending the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.
Three quick pops echoed across the banquet hall floor.
I swung my head across the room, hoping to see a tray of dropped food. After all, the ballroom was a small venue with over 250 tables.
Instead, the last thing I saw before being pulled under the table was one entrance door swinging open.
Just an hour before an armed man tried to breach security and enter the International Ballroom at the Washington Hilton, where President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance and top members of the president’s Cabinet were in attendance, hundreds of people in tuxedos and gowns slowly made their way to the ballroom for the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner. Including me.
Dinner was scheduled to begin at 8pm ET. And I was there to report on what’s inside Washington’s most popular dinner, often referred to as “Geek Prom.” This is already particularly historic, as Trump is the first president to attend. Little did I know how newsworthy this event would become.
The International Ballroom is huge. There were over 250 tables packed inside. At the front of the room was a long table where the White House Correspondents Association director, Trump, Melania Trump and Vance all sat. Behind the table was a banner that read in all caps: “Celebrating the First Amendment.”
Dinner started normally. The association’s board of directors was introduced. CBS reporters and WHCA president Weijia Jiang welcomed the guests. There was a color presentation by the U.S. Army Color Guard. The national anthem was sung.
Then it was time for a meal before the entire program began, including remarks from Trump himself.
As the waiters tried to wade through the sea of tightly packed tables, they heard three rapid thumps. As I scanned the room for the source of the noise, I heard someone whisper, “It’s a gunshot.”
Several entrances to the banquet hall exploded open, sending waves of attendees fleeing under the tables. I was pulled over by a co-worker. With trembling hands, I quickly typed “shot” into my work chat for the event around 8:35 PM ET. “Shots fired,” I quickly followed.
I later learned that I could hear the Secret Service and other security personnel rushing into the room. As I took shelter on the floor, my view obscured by a white tablecloth, I thought there might be a scuffle going on in another part of the room. It was the Secret Service that removed the first lady and vice president from the stage.
The attendees around me were sitting on the floor, some on their sides, some on their stomachs. Others, including me, peeked into our phones to see what was going on. Someone chanted “America.”
After that, the movement briefly calmed down, finally signaling that it was okay to stand up. People got up from the floor and looked around, trying to figure out what was causing the commotion. One person was escorted out and appeared to be hurt from having to cover himself so quickly. Chairs were scattered on the floor.
Hundreds of journalists then operated their cell phones, making calls and sending messages, rushing towards each other to discuss what to do. Despite having Wi-Fi, service was spotty. Some media outlets reported that there was a gunman. It’s unclear where he was in the hotel, what his position was, or how close he was to the ballroom.
As I was about to convey a message about what I had seen and heard in the banquet hall, the smell of gunpowder filled the room.
The confusion continued even after we were told to leave. I was then asked to stay as dinner was to follow. In the end, we all had to evacuate due to security regulations.
Maroon napkins were scattered like confetti on the banquet hall floor. When I finally evacuated the building with other reporters, several people caught my heel.
But my night wasn’t over. It was time to head to work.
