Performer Describes Ducking for Cover as Shots Fired During White House Correspondents' Dinner
Pearlman recounts locking eyes with Trump on ground during security response at Washington Hilton event
Auf einen Blick
- A performer at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner on Saturday described locking eyes with President Trump as they ducked for cover during gunfire at the Washington Hilton.
- Pearlman was performing a guessing game for the first lady, president and press secretary when shots rang out.
- Secret Service agents tackled Trump to the ground beside him, and Pearlman recalled thinking 'We're about to die.' Trump said he 'wasn't worried' during the ordeal.
KI-generierte Zusammenfassung
Warum es wichtig ist
The White House Correspondents' Association annual dinner is a prestigious event attended by journalists, politicians, and celebrities. This is the first time in recent memory that shots have been fired at the event, marking a significant security breach at a protected political gathering.
A shocked performer has described locking eyes with US President Donald Trump as they ducked for cover after shots were fired at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner on Saturday night in Washington DC.
"I went down very quickly. And then the Secret Service brought President Trump down: I would say very effectively - but quite violently," he said. "We were about half-a-metre apart… face-to-face looking at each other on the ground, when I'm hearing shots and thinking to myself, 'We're about to die.'"
Footage from the annual event showed Pearlman standing with a piece of paper behind the three VIPs, who were all seated at a table on an elevated stage at the Washington Hilton hotel.
"The timing of it was just so crazy because I was right in the midst of performing for the first lady, and for the president and for the press secretary… guessing the name – the press secretary is having a baby soon," Pearlman said.
He said he was trying to guess how many letters were in the baby's name, and as he ripped off a piece of paper and showed the name, he heard the gunshots. At the time, he thought "there was about to be a bomb because of the way they [secret service agents] were all going towards one table.
"It didn't feel like they were looking for a shooter. It felt like they were looking to stop something from happening."
"I was facing stage left. And just by chance they [agents] tackled him [Trump], right next to me facing stage right.
"And I'm turned to the left looking directly into his eyes - for 'One Mississippi, Two Mississippi' - pretty much thinking that I hope I'm not about to die."
Pearlman said about "two seconds later" the agents got Trump out of the room, while he himself and two other people nearby eventually "crawled out" to safety.
In an interview with CBS's 60 Minutes on Sunday, Trump said he "wasn't worried" during the ordeal. "I understand life. We live in a crazy world."
Asked about his recollection of "going down" as he was led from the room by security agents, he recalled how he "started walking with them [the security team]. I turned, I started walking, and they said, 'Please go down. Please go down on the floor.'
"So I went down and the first lady went down also."
A suspected gunman was arrested at the venue following the firing of gunshots, and was named by law enforcement officials as Cole Tomas Allen.
Worauf zu achten ist
KI-Ausblick — Möglichkeiten, keine Fakten
Congressional inquiry into Secret Service security protocols at the dinner
Wahrscheinlich · Innerhalb von Wochen
Increased security measures at future White House events and political gatherings
Sehr wahrscheinlich · Innerhalb von Tagen
Offene Fragen
- What was the motive of the suspected gunman Cole Tomas Allen?
- Were there any other casualties besides the shooter?
- What security failures allowed the gunman to bring a weapon into the event?
- How did the press secretary's presence factor into the timing of the attack?
