‘I heard the gunfire — with Trump present — and then everything changed’

Gunfire erupted just moments after President Donald Trump entered the room, the military color guard barely having exited when five distinct shots pierced the air from behind a door near our table at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

“Pop-pop-pop-pop-pop,” the sounds echoed, sharp and alarming.

While some attendees speculated that a server had dropped a tray, I instinctively recognized the sound for what it was: gunfire.

Uncertainty gripped the room as I turned to see something unprecedented in my decade of covering presidential events: Secret Service agents sprinting through the crowd, weapons drawn.

These plainclothes agents are a familiar sight for those who report on the president, identifiable by their lapel pins and tailored jackets designed to conceal holsters and extra magazines. Yet, in all my years on the White House beat, I had never witnessed them unholster their firearms—until now.

Panic ensued as people screamed and urged one another to “GET DOWN, GET DOWN!” while scrambling for cover under tables. Security personnel began slamming doors to the Hilton Hotel ballroom.

More commotion erupted from behind those doors, followed by an eerie silence.

Perhaps it was the positioning of my table or my own stubbornness, but I didn’t immediately process the need to protect myself. Instead, I remained seated, turning to observe Trump and others being hurriedly evacuated from the dais.

As chaos unfolded, a line of uniformed law enforcement officers entered the room, guns raised, moving purposefully from a side door toward the center.

Dignitaries, including members of the president's cabinet, were swiftly escorted out under heavy guard.

Kash Patel, the FBI director, had been seated nearby with reporters from the Daily Mail. I had arrived alongside him and noted only a single agent trailing him as he made his way to his table. He paused at the back of the ballroom, seemingly uncertain of where to go.

Eventually, he and others, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, exited under armed escort.

The doors slammed shut behind them.

For the next hour, nearly 1,000 reporters—struggling with poor Wi-Fi and limited mobile service—attempted to fulfill their journalistic duties amidst the confusion.

Information trickled in slowly; some managed to connect with sources despite the chaos.

Eventually, we were informed that “protocol” dictated the cancellation of the dinner. Trump and his protective pool returned to the White House, where he prepared for a press conference.

Despite his desire to resume the dinner and awards ceremony, security concerns prevailed. He assured attendees he would return for the event “in the next 30 days.”

As Trump often states, “we’ll see what happens.”