EXTRA: Inside the room when shots fired at the White House correspondents' dinner

James Matthews and Mark Stone, hosts of Trump 100, recount their harrowing experience at the 2026 White House Correspondents' Dinner, where an apparent assassination attempt on President Donald Trump unfolded in real time. The event, held at the Washington Hilton, began as a routine gala but turned chaotic when gunfire erupted—heard from outside the ballroom—prompting immediate panic and a mass crouch under tables. Both hosts describe the surreal moment when Secret Service agents sprinted toward the stage, the president was evacuated, and armed officers pointed weapons into the crowd, heightening the danger. They reflect on the lack of visible security, the shock of being in a venue historically linked to past violence (like Reagan’s 1981 shooting), and the bizarre calm that followed despite the terror. The suspect, Cole Thomas Allen, a 31-year-old from Torrance, California, was apprehended after rushing a Secret Service checkpoint with a shotgun, handgun, and multiple knives. Authorities have not confirmed whether it was an assassination attempt or a mass shooting, but the weapons suggest a targeted rather than indiscriminate attack. Trump’s post-incident press conference was notably conciliatory, urging national unity—a stark contrast to his usual rhetoric—though analysts question its longevity. The episode ends with dark humor about the wasted surf-and-turf meal and a pledge to return to the event within 30 days, underscoring the event’s resilience and political symbolism.