Former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is sharing new details about what happened behind the scenes on the night shots were fired at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in April — and the picture she paints of President Trump is one of barely contained defiance.
Speaking on the “Hang Out with Sean Hannity” podcast, Leavitt revealed that after the Secret Service swept Trump out of the Washington Hilton ballroom, he immediately began pushing to go back. “He was like a caged lion backstage, like just roaring to get out, like, ‘We gotta go back out there,'” she said. “And I’m sitting there like, ‘I don’t know if I want to go back out there.'” According to Leavitt, Trump pressed his detail hard — telling them he would wait until 3 a.m. if that’s what it took for the event to resume.
The dinner had descended into chaos when Cole Allen, a 31-year-old from Torrance, California, allegedly stormed the hotel armed with multiple weapons just minutes into the program. A Secret Service officer was struck but survived. Allen’s manifesto reportedly identified Trump administration officials — with the exception of FBI Director Kash Patel — as his targets. He was apprehended outside the ballroom and has since pleaded not guilty to charges including attempted assassination of the president.
When it became clear the dinner would not resume that night, Trump channeled his energy into a late-night press briefing at the White House. “He wanted to say something and the best way to say it was in the briefing room. And we did,” Leavitt said. The dinner was ultimately rescheduled for July 24 at the Waldorf Astoria, where Trump attended and spoke. The shooting also reignited his push to build a dedicated ballroom at the White House — an idea that has gained new traction on Capitol Hill in the months since.