Karoline Leavitt likely regrets the “shooting” joke she made before the White House Correspondents’ Dinner Saturday night, which was abruptly canceled after an alleged shooter disrupted the event.
Specifically, in a video that went viral on X, the White House press secretary took a moment to speak with Fox News before heading to the Washington Hilton ballroom, previewing what was planned for Donald Trump’s speech.
“It will be fun, it will be entertaining, there will be some shooting in the room tonight,” he said. “So everyone should tune in. It’s going to be really cool. I can’t wait to hear it.”
Of course, after the Secret Service and local authorities detained a suspect for bringing a shotgun, pistol, and several knives to WHCD and shooting an officer, Leavitt’s comment was clipped and spread on social media like wildfire.
Karoline Leavitt to Fox before WHCD event: There will be some shooting tonight pic.twitter.com/vcVfZxYoat
– Acyn (@Acyn) April 26, 2026
“This will NOT help her fight conspiracy theorists,” one X user joked, referencing the many conspiracy theories that emerged after the last two assassination attempts on Trump. Other joked that Leavitt “knew something” and organized the incident to help “sink” the polls. a third party simply noted“That’s an unfortunate choice of words.”
“Thankfully we can laugh about it now,” said one X user. saying. “It’s ironic that this was the only comedy after Trump canceled comedians.”
However, many more came to Leavitt’s defense, attacking conspiracy theorists in the comments and reminding X users that “shots” can mean a “burn” or a “resourceful comeback.”
As we previously reported, President Donald Trump was rushed out of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner Saturday night amid gunfire at the Washington Hilton. The event was canceled, and the president promised during a press conference to reschedule the WHCA celebration for the next month, stating that he was “ready, willing and able” to give his speech.
He added: “I told my people, ‘This would be the most inappropriate speech ever given.’ But I don’t know if I could ever be as rude as I was going to be tonight. I think I’ll probably be very nice.”
The president also confirmed during the briefing that the suspect in question had been detained, calling him a “sick person” from California. He also noted that a Secret Service agent was shot, but was wearing a bulletproof vest and is “very well.”
Metropolitan Police Department Acting Chief Jeffery W. Carroll later shared that the suspect was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and several knives at the Washington Hilton, where he was allegedly staying as a guest. Carroll added that the suspect was not hit by gunfire and that there are no other suspects, believing he acted alone.
Jeanine Pirro, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, shared that the suspect would be arraigned on Monday and charged with two counts of use of a firearm during a crime of violence, as well as one count of assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon. However, officials said they were in the early stages of the investigation, indicating additional charges were likely.
