Trump reveals Melania’s chilling words as gunshots rang out and agents forced him to CRAWL out of White House Correspondents’ Dinner ballroom
Donald Trump revealed what First Lady Melania Trump told him shortly after the shooting at the Washington Hilton Hotel during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
“It’s always shocking when something like this happens,” the President said at a White House press conference in the West Wing an hour after the violence.
“We were sitting side by side with the First Lady to my right, and I heard a noise,” Trump said, adding that they thought “it was either a tray or a bullet.”
‘I heard a noise and thought a tray had fallen on the floor,’ he said.
Trump added that Melania Trump immediately perceived the voice as a ‘bad voice’ and that it was a very traumatic experience for her.
‘Melania was very knowledgeable,’ he continued.
The president also shared his concern for his wife’s safety, given the multiple assassination attempts against her.
‘The First Lady was doing a great job. He loves his country. He knows this better than anyone. But he told me that he repeatedly said, “You work in a dangerous job.”‘
Trump said at a news conference Saturday night that he wasn’t sure if he heard gunshots or a falling food tray when an armed intruder tried to enter the White House Correspondents’ Dinner and was shot within two hours of his speech.
The President and the First Lady were sitting at the head of the table on stage when the incident occurred.
Melania Trump stood in the briefing room as the President updated the nation on the White House Correspondents’ Dinner attack
About an hour ago, several gunshots rang out in the dining room, and the attendees immediately took shelter under their tables to protect themselves in a frantic struggle.
A few journalists either remained seated or knelt, filming the fallout. Secret Service agents and other security guards began storming the room, securing most of the senior politicians.
Seconds after the shots, the President, First Lady and Vice President took shelter under their desks on the stage at the front of the room.
Moments later, agents began scanning hundreds of tables in the massive banquet hall to secure senior Cabinet officials.
The Secret Service’s Counter Assault Team (CAT) rushed onto the stage, clad in black tactical fatigues, large rifles drawn.
‘It was a gun and some people understood that pretty quickly and some didn’t. “I was watching to see what was happening,” the president said. ‘Melania was aware of what was happening and I think she knew.’
‘Again, the performance of the Secret Service, the police and all law enforcement agencies was very good. It was very fast. There wasn’t much time to think. It took us a few seconds to get out the door and into an area.’
In the video that followed, Vice President J.D. Vance can be seen being helped off the stage by Secret Service agents as Trump and Melania ducked for cover.
Most of Trump’s top Cabinet members attended late-night press conference
Trump posts photo of man trying to breach security on social media
Clips then show several agents reaching for the President and quickly pulling him to safety.
As they lead him out, the President appears to slip and crawl for a moment as the agents help him to his feet again and run into the space behind the stage.
The DC Metropolitan Police Department released a statement saying the suspected shooter, 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California, was a guest at the Hilton hotel where the event was held.
Trump said the gunman shot a police officer during the exchange.
‘A police officer was shot but survived thanks to the fact that he was wearing a very good bulletproof vest. ‘He was shot at very close range with a very powerful weapon and the vest did its job.’
He said he had spoken to the police officer, adding that he was ‘in very good shape’ and ‘in very good spirits’.
The president also struck a defiant tone at the briefing, saying he would not let the shooting derail the dinner and that the dinner would be rescheduled for the following month.
‘We hope to have one in the next 30 days,’ he said.
He stated that he was excited to give his speech and that he was ‘really ready to tear apart’ some of the journalists in the room. ‘This would be the most inappropriate conversation.’
