US3 min(s) read
Published 13:13 27 Apr 2026 GMT
Many people were quick to notice that Vice President JD Vance was evacuated first after shooting erupted at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
Trump was quick to explain that he allegedly personally resisted Secret Service agents’ initial efforts to help him escape the ballroom, allowing Vance to be taken to safety first.
Footage from the scene in Washington D.C. on Saturday night showed security personnel storming the stage to save Trump, his wife, Melania and other top administration officials, including the vice president.
A forensic lipreader has since revealed the panicked four words Vance let out as Secret Service personnel grabbed him out of his seat as the shots were fired.
Lipreader Nicola Hickling revealed that a bodyguard reportedly shouted “Run, f***ing run” at Vance.
The vice president simply responded with confusion: “What’s happening? I’m going”, before clumsily exiting the stage in a rush.
Officials have since revealed that the alleged attacker, who was armed with a shotgun, a handgun, and multiple knives, has been identified as Cole Thomas Allen, 31.
Another guest who was spotted being escorted out of harm’s way was Erika Kirk, the wife of late right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated on a college campus in September last year.
As she left the venue in tears, she reportedly said to a bodyguard: “I just wanna go home”.
During a press conference in the West Wing after the shooting, Trump revealed how his wife, Melania, reacted to the attack, saying: “It’s always shocking when something like this happens.
“The fact that we were sitting next to each other, the First Lady on my right, and I heard a noise,” which the couple thought was "either a tray or a bullet".
“I heard a noise and kinda thought it was a tray going down.”
He claimed Melania instantly recognised the sound as a “bad noise,” adding that “it was a rather traumatic experience for her.”
“Melania was very cognizant,” Trump added.
The president also confirmed that one person was hit by a bullet but came out unscathed, saying: “One officer was shot, but saved by the fact that he was wearing an – obviously – a very good bulletproof vest. He was shot from very close distance with a very powerful gun, and the vest did the job.”
