Former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says President Donald Trump pushed hard to return to the ballroom of the Washington Hilton within minutes of being rushed out during the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in April.
Leavitt described the scene backstage in a new episode of “Hang Out with Sean Hannity,” saying Trump was restless and determined to go back out despite having just been evacuated during what officials have described as an alleged assassination attempt.
“He was like a caged lion backstage, like just roaring to get out, like, ‘We gotta go back out there,'” Leavitt said. “And I’m sitting there like, ‘I don’t know if I want to go back out there.'”
The dinner had barely begun when a gunman, identified as Cole Allen of Torrance, California, allegedly entered the hotel armed. Secret Service agents moved quickly to get Trump and Vice President JD Vance out of the ballroom. Guests dropped under tables as the event turned to chaos. Allen was apprehended by Secret Service agents on the scene.
Allen allegedly wrote in a manifesto that Trump administration officials were his targets, with one notable exception: FBI Director Kash Patel.
According to Leavitt, Trump pressed his security detail to let him go back out, even offering to wait through the night if necessary.
“[Trump] really was asking hard questions of his detail, like, ‘Why can’t I go? I will wait all night. I don’t care if it’s 3 in the morning, get it started,'” Leavitt said.
Leavitt said officials began preparing to resume the dinner as Trump pushed to make a public statement right away. In the end, he addressed the incident from the White House briefing room instead.
“[Trump] wanted to say something and the best way to say it was in the briefing room. And we did,” Leavitt said.
Trump held a news conference at the White House later that night with senior administration officials, walking through how the shooting unfolded.
In the aftermath, Trump renewed his push to build a ballroom at the White House, arguing it would provide a safer, more secure venue for official events. The rescheduled WHCA Dinner was held in July, and Trump attended.
Leavitt’s full interview is set to be released Tuesday on YouTube, Spotify and Apple.
Add comment