Trump was a 'caged lion' roaring to return to WHCA Dinner ballroom after shooting, Leavitt says
Karoline Leavitt, former White House press secretary, has provided a first‑hand account of President Donald Trump’s reaction when shots rang out at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in April. In an upcoming episode of the podcast “Hang Out with Sean Hannity,” Leavitt recalled that Trump, having just been evacuated from the ballroom, was “like a caged lion backstage, just roaring to get out” and repeatedly urged those around him to return to the event.
The dinner, held at the Washington Hilton, was underway when a man later identified as Cole Allen of Torrance, California, allegedly entered the hotel armed with weapons. Secret Service agents quickly ushered President Trump and Vice President JD Vance out of the ballroom as guests dived under tables amid the chaos. Allen was taken into custody shortly afterward; authorities say he wrote a manifesto in which he named Trump administration officials as his intended targets, with the exception of FBI Director Kash Patel.
Leavitt described the president’s demeanor as tense but determined. “He was like a caged lion backstage, like just roaring to get out, like, ‘We gotta go back out there,’” she recounted. She added, “I’m sitting there like, ‘I don’t know if I want to go back out there.’”
According to Leavitt, Trump pressed his security detail with urgent questions, asking why he could not return and insisting he would wait as long as necessary. “He 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,’” she said. The former spokesperson noted that officials even began making arrangements to resume the dinner, reflecting Trump’s impatience to address the public.
Trump eventually delivered a statement later that night from the White House briefing room, joined by senior administration members, recounting the sequence of events. In the aftermath, the president renewed his call for the construction of a dedicated ballroom at the White House, arguing that such a space would provide a secure venue for official functions. The White House Correspondents’ Association later rescheduled the dinner for July, and Trump attended the event.
Leavitt’s full interview is set to be released Tuesday on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple.