US Vice President J.D. Vance gave a detailed account of the chaotic moments that occurred inside the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner after a suspected gunman attempted to breach security and target President Donald Trump.Speaking in an interview with The Will Cain Show on Wednesday, Vance said he did not initially understand what was happening inside the ballroom at the Washington Hilton during Saturday’s high-profile event.
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“I didn’t really know what was going on,” he told Fox News host Will Cain.“Just to give you my perspective, I’m sitting there on the podium with some reporters, and of course with the president of the United States, a few seats to my right, and there’s a lot of commotion,” Vance said.He added that he began hearing loud and unclear voices while sitting next to the senior guests at the event.“Then I see people hiding under tables and responding to the commotion at the back of the hall,” he said.Vance said the situation quickly escalated before a security officer approached him directly.“Then an agent comes and whispers in my ear. [He] “He basically says, ‘Sir, we have to leave,'” he recounted.
The vice president, along with President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, were quickly evacuated from the auditorium after the suspected gunman tried to rush a Secret Service checkpoint at the venue. The suspect has been identified as Cole Allen.A Secret Service officer was injured and taken to hospital after being hit by a bullet-resistant vest during the standoff. Security personnel later arrested the suspect and prevented him from entering the main event area.