A video circulating on social media captures a group of guests snatching bottles of champagne and wine during the chaotic evacuation of the White House Correspondent’s Association dinner on Saturday night. The event, held at the Washington Hilton, was abruptly interrupted when a suspected gunman attempted to breach the venue just moments before President Trump was set to address attendees.
As gunfire erupted, the president, first lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and other officials were swiftly escorted from the ballroom. Journalists scrambled for safety, hiding under tables as panic ensued. Many later recounted their harrowing experiences during the incident.
However, not all guests appeared shaken. A short clip shared by Jennifer Coffindaffer, a retired FBI agent and contributor to NewsNation, shows several women calmly collecting bottles from abandoned tables while making their way to the exit. The video, set to Disturbed’s rendition of “The Sound of Silence,” has since sparked a flurry of reactions online.
Once a thief, always a thief...Even in the middle of a crisis. pic.twitter.com/XYeOsAlBHx
— Jennifer Coffindaffer (@CoffindafferFBI) April 26, 2026
Coffindaffer’s post elicited a spectrum of responses. Some viewers found humor in the opportunistic behavior, while others criticized it as “tacky.” “My hero,” one commenter quipped, while another sarcastically remarked, “OH NO! She took a bottle of wine that everyone was going to drink anyways! Call in Seal Team 6 this madness has to stop!!”
“Thief? Looks like everyone around her is grabbing a bottle too,” another user noted sympathetically. “Honestly, I would do the same if I spent a fortune on a dress I only got to show off for 45 minutes.”
“LOOTERS!” one commentator exclaimed, while another argued that although it wasn’t technically theft—since attendees had paid for their tickets—the behavior was still “rather tacky morally.” Coffindaffer countered this perspective, emphasizing that the event would be rescheduled and thus required restocking.
Among the more humorous comments was speculation that one of the women might be Marla Maples, Trump’s estranged second wife. Others expressed expectations of such behavior from Capitol Hill attendees, with some even suggesting the entire incident was staged.
Trump dismissed claims on social media that the attack was fabricated, labeling conspiracy theorists as “sick” or “con people” during an interview with CBS News’s 60 Minutes.
The suspect, identified as Cole Tomas Allen, a 31-year-old computer programmer from Torrance, California, is scheduled to appear in court Monday facing charges related to firearms and assault. Investigators have recovered an alleged manifesto he sent to family members shortly before the attack, in which he chillingly referred to himself as the “Friendly Federal Assassin,” expressed disdain for the president, and critiqued the hotel’s security measures.
In a press conference following the incident, Trump revealed that Melania found the situation particularly distressing. Erika Kirk, who tragically lost her husband to gun violence less than a year ago, was seen leaving the event visibly shaken.
