{"id":2595208,"date":"2026-04-26T01:41:01","date_gmt":"2026-04-26T05:41:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/inside-the-room-terror-at-the-white-house-correspondents-dinner\/"},"modified":"2026-04-26T01:43:36","modified_gmt":"2026-04-26T05:43:36","slug":"inside-the-room-terror-at-the-white-house-correspondents-dinner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/inside-the-room-terror-at-the-white-house-correspondents-dinner\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside the room: Terror at the White House correspondents&#8217; dinner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Finside-the-room-terror-at-the-white-house-correspondents-dinner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2595208&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The author describes attending the White House correspondents\u2019 Association dinner, noting that the atmosphere felt different as President Donald trump was speaking for the first time and there were more protesters than usual. Despite the usual chatter-about Trump\u2019s likely jokes and performance-festivities quickly turned alarming when multiple shots were heard and an intense security response erupted. Trump and members of his Cabinet were rapidly moved out of sight, and the writer believed it was a mass shooting.<\/p>\n<p>In the chaos,the author\u2019s family members were worried,and there was confusion about facts circulating on the scene-someone initially said the shooter was dead,though it later became clear the shooter was not dead but arrested.The article reflects on the incident\u2019s broader lessons: the danger journalists face, the increasing violence in politics, and the need for the white House Correspondents\u2019 Association to address security going forward. It closes by emphasizing that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-red-wave-of-conservative-women-elected-to-congress\/\" title=\"The Red Wave of Conservative Women Elected to Congress\">law enforcement<\/a> helped prevent a larger tragedy.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p>It started out like any <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/White-House-Correspondents-Association\" type=\"link\" id=\"washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/White-House-Correspondents-Association\">White House Correspondents\u2019 Association<\/a> dinner. I have been to many \u2014 perhaps too many \u2014 but this one was regrettably historic.<\/p>\n<p>I said hello to a lot of old friends while seeing many healthy-sized\u00a0egos who regularly attend. For the most part, it was business as usual. Yet, there was a different mood than most\u00a0years. President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\" type=\"link\" id=\"washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\">Donald Trump<\/a> was scheduled to speak at the dinner for the first time. There was concern in the air and seemingly more protesters than usual. <\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4543412\/trump-strikes-defiant-tone-after-another-shooting-i-cant-be-concerned\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump strikes defiant tone after another shooting: \u2018I can\u2019t be concerned\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4543284\/watch-live-trump-press-conference-correspondents-dinner-shooting\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>WATCH LIVE: Trump holds press conference after White House Correspondents\u2019 Dinner shooting<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4543285\/shooting-reported-white-house-correspondents-dinner\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump and Cabinet members evacuated from correspondents\u2019 dinner after shooting<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>This was the hottest ticket in town. And there was the usual banter: Who would Trump go after in the media? How long would he speak? An hour? Two hours? Will he poke fun at people in his administration?<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Also, many were looking forward to Oz Pearlman\u2019s performance. He is the so-called Mentalist who was featured recently on CBS\u2019s <em>60 Minutes<\/em>. The mood was festive. <\/p>\n<p>Entering the massive\u00a0ballroom, I chatted briefly with former New York Yankee and congressional candidate Mark Teixeira and planned to give a little crap to David Rubinstein, a huge figure in politics and the majority owner of the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles lost Saturday to the Boston\u00a0Red Sox 17-1 and he was 5 feet away from me. But that conversation never happened. <\/p>\n<p>Guests settled into their seats as Trump and first lady Melania Trump were introduced. A stirring rendition of the national anthem was sung. We started to eat our salads.<\/p>\n<p>After exchanging\u00a0pleasantries with guests at our <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> table, I checked the score of the pivotal Game 4 of the New York Knicks-Atlanta Hawks series. Thankfully, the Knicks were up big. Phew, I thought.<\/p>\n<p>And then all hell broke loose.<\/p>\n<p>Some people at our table, which was visible to C-SPAN\u2019s cameras, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/6-dead-dozens-injured-in-july-4th-parade\/\" title=\"6 dead, dozens injured in July 4th parade\">heard multiple shots<\/a>. I didn\u2019t. Trump later said he thought trays had been dropped. But when I saw a tsunami of security officials storming the dinner, I hit the ground like everyone else. <\/p>\n<p>I thought this is it. This is a mass shooting.  <\/p>\n<p>It is hard to describe the incredible security response. I have never seen anything like it. It\u2019s also amazing how quickly your mind can race in mere seconds. At first I thought the shooter was in the room as security officials were jumping from table to table with guns drawn. Trump was whisked out of sight as were members of his Cabinet. <\/p>\n<p>Worried family members were texting me and I said all was fine, but the room was incredibly rattled. I was rattled. <\/p>\n<p>Two people then told me \u201cshooter is dead\u201d and I misheard \u2014 \u201c[Sen. Chuck] Schumer [D-NY] is dead?!!!\u201d I responded. No. The Senate minority leader was fine. And the shooter isn\u2019t, in fact, dead but arrested.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/opinion\/beltway-confidential\/4543460\/cowards-wish-death-tyrants-white-house-correspondents-dinner-shooting\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/opinion\/beltway-confidential\/4543460\/cowards-wish-death-tyrants-white-house-correspondents-dinner-shooting\/\">COWARDS WISH DEATH ON \u2018ALL TYRANTS\u2019 AFTER WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS\u2019 DINNER SHOOTING<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This experience highlights many things. The first is that journalists who cover war are the bravest in our profession. They encounter these types\u00a0of scary incidents on a daily basis. Two, politics has become more violent and violence is never the answer. Three, there are security questions that the White House Correspondents\u2019 Association must and will address in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n<p>The good news is that a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >potential mass casualty event<\/a> was avoided Saturday night and we should all be thankful for law enforcement for that. But we need to learn from what happened \u2014 in many ways. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It began like any White House Correspondents\u2019 dinner-<br \/>\nbut turned historic<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4262,"featured_media":2595209,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2273151233.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[78219,78597,7851,32127],"class_list":["post-2595208","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-correspondents-dinner","tag-political-thriller","tag-terror","tag-white-house"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2273151233.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2595208","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4262"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2595208"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2595208\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2595212,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2595208\/revisions\/2595212"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2595209"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2595208"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2595208"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2595208"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}