WASHINGTON – Seven of the eight people in line for presidential succession were in the room with President Donald Trump when a gunman allegedly opened fire outside the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on April 25.
The only exception? The 92-year-old senator is recovering from surgery.
In an April 20 post on X, Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley wrote, “We are grateful for the excellent care provided by our local health care providers. We hope to see you back at the Capitol as soon as possible.”
A spokesperson for the senator confirmed that Grassley was in New Hartford, Iowa, on the day of the shooting.
The annual correspondents’ dinner was thrown into chaos after a gunman opened fire and tried to run through a security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton. Cole Allen, a resident of Torrance, California, was arrested by security officials and charged Monday with attempted assassination of the president.
Mr. Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance and Cabinet members were immediately evacuated from the hotel’s cavernous ballroom, which was packed with more than 2,500 journalists, politicians and celebrities.
Grassley, who is the third presidential candidate to serve as Senate president pro tempore after Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana, underwent surgery to remove gallstones a week before the convention. The position of president pro tempore is awarded to the majority party senator with the longest continuous service.
The evacuation is aimed at protecting the succession to the throne and follows the following order:
1. Vice President
2. Speaker of the House of Representatives
3. Senate President Pro Tempore
4. Secretary of State
5. Secretary of the Treasury
6. Secretary of War
7. Attorney General
8. Minister of the Interior
9. Secretary of Agriculture
10.Secretary of Commerce
11. Secretary of Labor
12. Secretary of Health and Human Services
13. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
14. Secretary of Transportation
15. Secretary of Energy
16. Secretary of Education
17. Secretary of Veterans Affairs
18. Secretary of Homeland Security
Following Mr. Grassley, all five Cabinet members who are part of the line of succession attended the event: Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Secretary of the Army Pete Hegseth, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum.
During major events such as the State of the Union address, members of the presidential cabinet are kept in a discreet location in case the president, vice president or other top leader dies due to unforeseen circumstances. A “designated survivor” will then serve as acting president.
White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt said in an April 27 press conference that no designated survivor was selected at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner over the weekend.
But there was some debate about that, she said.
“There were several high-ranking cabinet members who were not present for various personal reasons,” Levitt said. “There were several cabinet members who were no longer present, so there was no need to name a single survivor.”
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick was not in attendance at the celebration, his office confirmed to USA TODAY. It is unclear whether Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins attended.
