Weijia Jiang, president of the White House Correspondents’ Association and CBS News’ chief White House correspondent, speaks about the “horrific” shooting at a dinner party Saturday night.
The morning after the shooting at the 2026 White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, where President Donald Trump was in attendance, Jiang took to X Sunday to share that “the WHCA Board of Directors will meet to evaluate what happened and determine how to move forward.”
“Last night’s shooting at the Washington Hilton was a horrific moment for everyone present,” she wrote in a lengthy statement. “We extend our deepest gratitude to the U.S. Secret Service and all law enforcement personnel who ensured the safety of everyone in and out of the hall. Their actions protected thousands of guests, and we wish a full and speedy recovery to the officer who was injured in the line of duty. We are grateful to everyone in attendance who was unharmed, including the President, First Lady, and Vice President.”
Jiang continued, “Our dinner is there to celebrate the First Amendment and the hard daily work of journalists who defend it. Last night, these journalists showed exactly the kind of calm and courage that the work requires, jumping into reporting right after the incident happened. We are proud of everyone in that room. The WHCA Board of Directors will meet to evaluate what happened and determine how to move forward. We will provide updates as soon as any are available.”
At the beginning of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, an armed man, later identified as 31-year-old Cole Thomas Allen, reportedly stormed a security checkpoint and entered the Washington Hilton ballroom with multiple weapons. After he fired several shots, the authorities were able to arrest the suspect.
US Attorney Jeanine Pirro confirmed in a press conference that the suspect will be charged with using a firearm and assaulting a federal officer with a dangerous weapon, and that there will likely be “many other charges” in the future. Trump also said in a separate press conference at the White House that an officer was shot during the incident but was saved by a bulletproof vest.
Once officers took control of the scene, Jiang took to the stage to address those still in the hall, saying that “law enforcement asked us to leave the building in accordance with protocol.” She noted that Trump insisted on rescheduling the event within the next thirty days.
The WHCA president also added in her comment posted Sunday morning, “I know many of you are still processing what happened last night. Thank you to the USSS and all the law enforcement agencies that kept us safe. We are so grateful. To the members of the WHCA, we will get through this together.”
