UFC President and CEO Dana White recently told USA Today that he thought experiencing Saturday night’s White House Correspondents Dinner shoot firsthand was “awesome.”
“All of a sudden, there was a commotion. Tables started being overturned, and guys with guns were running and yelling, ‘Get down!'” said White, who was at the dinner. “I wasn’t depressed. It was great. I literally took in every moment. It was a pretty crazy and unique experience.”
White said he was sitting “right in front of where the president was” when the Secret Service arrived, adding: “Nobody tackled him, but guys came in looking for the gunman. And they came towards our table. I thought the gunman was finished off by us or something.”
The 2026 White House Correspondents’ Dinner, held in the ballroom of the Washington Hilton Hotel, was forced to end early after gunshots were heard outside the venue. President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and other government officials were quickly evacuated from the venue as law enforcement captured the gunman on another floor of the venue.
President Trump held a press conference on Saturday after the shooting, during which he promised to reschedule the WHCD within 30 days.
“We’re going to do it again,” Trump said. “We’re not going to let someone take over our society. We’re not going to cancel things out, because we can’t do that.”
On Sunday morning, Jiang Weijia, president of the White House Correspondents Association and senior White House correspondent for CBS News, released a statement on social media. “I’m sure many of you are still processing what happened last night. Thank you to the USSS and all law enforcement for keeping us safe. We are truly grateful. To the members of the WHCA, we will get through this together…” We extend our deepest gratitude to the Secret Service and all law enforcement personnel. Their actions protected thousands of guests and we wish the officers injured in the line of duty a full and speedy recovery. We are grateful that all in attendance, including the President, First Lady, and Vice President, were uninjured. ”
President Trump is scheduled to appear on “60 Minutes” Sunday night and interview CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell about the shooting.
