Karoline Leavitt Made an Eerie Prediction Before White House Correspondents’ Dinner Shooting

Caroline Leavitt
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What To Know

  • White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt made a joking remark about “shots fired” before the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
  • President Trump, Vice President Vance, and First Lady Melania Trump were safely evacuated after gunfire erupted.
  • The dinner was canceled for the night, with Trump later calling for it to be rescheduled.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt made an eerie prediction right before the 2026 White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting.

On Saturday, April 25, Leavitt spoke with Fox News on the red carpet to tease what the night had in store. “It will be funny. It will be entertaining,” Levitt, 28, promised. “There will be some shots fired tonight in the room.”

She added, “Everyone should tune in, it’s gonna be really great. I’m looking forward to hearing it.”

Although the White House secretary had clearly been referring to verbal barbs prepared at the expense of the press and other political figures, literal gunshots were fired not long afterward.

Shortly after 8:30 p.m. ET, gunfire rang out, and President Donald Trump, 79, Vice President JD Vance, 41, and first lady Melania Trump, 56, were all immediately evacuated from the Washington Hilton ballroom, the Associated Press reported. Neither the trio nor Trump’s cabinet members were injured, and the suspected shooter was detained.


“Quite an evening in D.C. Secret Service and Law Enforcement did a fantastic job. They acted quickly and bravely,” Trump wrote on Truth Social after the attack. “The shooter has been apprehended, and I have recommended that we ‘LET THE SHOW GO ON’ but, will entirely be guided by Law Enforcement. They will make a decision shortly.”

Ultimately, White House Correspondents’ Dinner was canceled for that night. Trump gave remarks from the White House that evening, sharing that a Secret Service agent was “doing great” after he was shot while wearing a bulletproof vest, per NPR.

“When you’re impactful, they go after you. When you’re not impactful, they leave you alone,” Trump said during the White House press conference, of the shooter, who has been identified as a 31-year-old man from California. “They seem to think he was a lone wolf.”

The POTUS called for the White House Correspondents’ Dinner to be rescheduled within 30 days.