• Source:JND

A Washington media tradition of respect turned violent on Saturday evening when suspected gunshots were fired in the lobby of the Washington Hilton, causing the first course of burrata and spinach not only to stop being served but ultimately to stop the entire White House correspondents’ dinner after lawmakers and reporters were all shocked.

An Indian journalist, Reena Bhardwaj, recalled a terrifying moment during Saturday night’s shooting incident, claiming entry to parts of the venue required “only a card” and lacked strict screening.

"Just minutes ago, chaos erupted here in the ballroom at the Hilton in Washington. What I witnessed first-hand was a loud sound first. To my mind, it was probably clattering dishes. But within seconds, I saw the servers rushing in with their trays and trying to find a secure place to keep themselves safe. That's when I thought that something was not right. The entire table took cover under the table. When I knew that it was safe to get up, what I witnessed was security agents on the stage with long guns. The POTUS had been ushered out. One by one, all his cabinet members, including Scott Bessent, Kash Patel, Pete Hegseth, and Witkoff, were ushered out. The program is supposed to resume shortly, that's what has been announced, but we still don't have anything from the association,” the ANI reporter said.

The journalist reporting the incident was outside the Hilton Hotel in Washington, DC, where President Trump was having dinner with the guests. The reporter recalled that a sudden loud noise was heard, which initially sounded like dishes clattering. 

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“I am standing outside the Hilton Hotel in Washington, DC, where President Trump was having dinner with us just a short while ago. Suddenly, we heard a noise which sounded like dishes clattering. As soon as I turned to look at it, I could see servers rushing inside with their trays. I felt something was wrong and that a security lapse had occurred,” Bhardwaj said

According to Bhardwaj, panic quickly spread as people began taking cover under tables and lying flat on the ground. This situation continued for about 5 to 10 minutes. 

“Once I got up, feeling that I was safe, I looked at the stage. President Trump was secured, and First Lady Melania Trump was also escorted to a safe zone. After about 12-13 minutes, cabinet members Scott Bessent, Pete Hegesth, and Kash Patel - whom I met just a short while ago- were escorted out. Karoline Leavitt was also escorted out. So, all Cabinet members were taken out of here. After about 30-35 minutes, the hotel was sealed. After that, an announcement was made that the program will be stopped now and postponed. President Trump has announced a press conference at the White House. Overall, this is definitely a security lapse that a gunman entered such a secure location and fired shots. We will get to know the details in the time to come, maybe in the next hour or so,” she added.

Eyewitness Account 

Several media reports and attendees highlighting the security at the White House dinner stated that the security was surprisingly light at several access points due to a lack of visible metal detectors and thorough checks before entering the reception area, igniting concern that the organisation utilised invitation-based access too heavily for securing the event. 

“Something I noticed even before coming into the #WHCADinner was that the security was only outside the ballroom, inside, not outside the building. So the entrance of the building did not have a security machine, only guards; and you only went through the screening before the ballroom,” said Leonardo Feldman, reporter at White House Reporter at Newsweek.

Political commentator Debra Lea recorded a vlog from outside the Hilton, criticising the precautions taken for such a high-profile event. “There was no security at WHCD. No metal detectors, pat downs, nothing,” she said.

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Sharing the entry card for the dinner, Misha Komadovsky, US Correspondent for DW News, said, “This was the only thing required for entry into the Washington Hilton ballroom. There was no security screening before entering the lobby.”

What happened at the Dinner?

The security incident occurred at approximately 8:45 PM EDT as dinner service was underway. Witnesses reported hearing "loud, rhythmic sounds" echoing from the lobby area, which were quickly identified as gunfire. The evacuation took place shortly after 8:30 PM, local time, after loud sounds were reported from the lobby area.

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