‘Shots Fired Tonight’: Leavitt Remark Grabs Attention After Chaos at DC Event
Karoline Leavitt Warned of 'Shots Fired Tonight' at the Correspondents' Dinner — Minutes Later There Were Actual Shots
Shots were fired at the White House Correspondents' dinner at the Washington Hilton on Saturday. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt made an unintentionally prescient remark shortly before the shooting.
Multiple important personalities including President Donald Trump, Melania Trump and several Cabinet members and White House officials were present at the Washington Hilton. They were evacuated from the Washington Hilton on Saturday after shots were fired.
But before the chaos took place, the press secretary told the reporters that the president who was set to address the crowd, was “ready to rumble.”
"I will tell you this speech tonight will be classic Donald J. Trump. It'll be funny. It'll be entertaining. There will be some shots fired tonight," Leavitt said. She added, “Everyone should tune in. It’s going to be really great.”
Karoline Leavitt to FOX NEWS before the WHCD
Before the incident took place, Trump had been seated at the dais alongside Melania Trump and Weijia Jiang, a CBS reporter and president of the White House Correspondents' Association. Anthony Guglielmi, the Secret Service spokesperson, said in a statement that an individual connected to the shooting near the main screening area had been apprehended.
“The president and first lady are safe along with all protectees,” he said. “The condition of those involved is not yet known, and law enforcement is actively assessing the situation.”
In a Truth Social post, Trump said he was prepared to continue the evening. He wrote, “Quite an evening in D.C. Secret Service and Law Enforcement did a fantastic job. They acted quickly and bravely. The shooter has been apprehended, and I have recommended that we ‘LET THE SHOW GO ON’ but, will entirely be guided by Law Enforcement. They will make a decision shortly.”
Press Sec Karoline Leavitt said "There will be some shots fired in the room, so everyone should tune in"
“Regardless of that decision, the evening will be much different than planned, and we’ll just, plain, have to do it again.” The New York Times reported that as of 9:45 p.m. Saturday, the president was heading back to the White House.
Among the other prominent figures at the annual dinner were Vice President JD Vance, Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr., Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin, and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
The president of the Correspondents’ Association, Weijia Jiang said the dinner would be held again within 30 days, NPR reported. However, requests for comment from both the White House and the WHCA were not immediately returned.
Not to mention that Trump has been evacuated after gunfire earlier as well. Less than two years ago, Trump was evacuated from a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, after a bullet grazed his ear.