What it was like in the room as shots rang out at correspondents' dinner

Inside the Washington Hilton ballroom the author describes hearing booming sounds from the direction of the main entrance, recognizing the low thudding of semi-automatic weapons and the shattering of glass as colleagues ducked and dove for cover. For five to ten minutes attendees, including about 2,500 people, waited under a table for signs that a gunman had entered the room. A colleague recounted seeing Secret Service agents on the stage behind them move President Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, and Vice-President JD Vance to safety, while other agents in helmets and bulletproof vests kept the crowd under watch with firearms drawn. About 30 meters behind them toward the doors, FBI Director Kash Patel was on the floor shielding his girlfriend as a Secret Service agent came to his aid. Authorities closed roads around the Hilton for hours, though security at the venue felt comparatively light for a White House Correspondents Dinner without the sitting president present. The group stayed in the ballroom, attempting to get phone signal to broadcast and learn more, as they processed what had just occurred.

The author states they were in Butler, Pennsylvania in July 2024 when the president came within inches of losing his life.