BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Rep. Vince Fong described a chaotic scene at the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday after a shooting incident outside the ballroom prompted the Secret Service to storm the room and evacuate the president.
Fong and his wife, Amanda, attended the event as guests of The California Post, a conservative newspaper. It was Fong's first time at the dinner, which he said was supposed to be a night to celebrate the First Amendment and network with members of the president's administration and cabinet. He noted it was the president's first time attending the dinner during his first term.
"There was a big crash. We thought it was plates crashing and then all of a sudden, um, you know, they were the, the Secret Service stormed in," Fong said.
Agents ordered attendees to get under their tables.
"You know, my wife was sitting next to me, so I, I was on top of her," Fong said.
Fong said he saw the president surrounded by Secret Service agents on the stage. The vice president, Secretary Heckek, Rubio, and others with security details were quickly escorted out of the room.
"You're having a lighthearted, uh, conversation, you're, you're eating your salad and then all of a sudden it's, uh, you know, a bunch of Secret Service agents and law enforcement storm into the room. You know, you had law enforcement tossing chairs out of the way," Fong said.
Attendees were instructed to stay in the room while law enforcement secured the area outside. Fong said they learned someone had tried to run through security. Around midnight, the Secret Service provided attendees with a quick synopsis of the suspect's identity.
The incident marks the third assassination attempt on the president, a level of violence Fong said he has not witnessed in his more than 25 years in politics and public service.
"I've not seen something like this where there's been 3, assassination attempts on, uh, on a president," Fong said.
"I'm certainly grateful that the president and the vice president and, and, uh, his cabinet, uh, everyone was OK," Fong said.
Fong expressed gratitude to the Secret Service and law enforcement for keeping everyone safe.
"It's a surreal thing, you know, our society is polarized and we have to figure out how to have disagreements without, um, you know, resorting to violence," Fong said.
Fong said the president has asked for the dinner to be rescheduled within the month.
"We need to come together, and we need to, you know, um, take stock in, in the fact that what makes America special is our ability to agree and disagree and, um, and solve problems," Fong said.
Fong spoke about the incident from his Bakersfield offices on Sunday afternoon. He flew with his wife and child back to Bakersfield late Saturday night before boarding a red-eye flight back to Washington, D.C., on Sunday.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Stay in Touch with Us Anytime, Anywhere:
