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The White House Correspondents’ Dinner descended into chaos on Saturday night, after gunshots were heard at the prestigious event at the Washington Hilton, prompting journalists to take cover under tables, and Secret Service agents to escort President Donald Trump and cabinet officials out of the ballroom.
Officials said a male assailant – identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen from California, according to The New York Times – shot and injured a law enforcement officer before being detained near the hotel screening area.
The man is now in custody, with the Department of Justice saying he faces firearms and assault charges.
The dinner was cancelled, and Trump later hosted a White House press conference in which he branded the assailant – who was armed with a shotgun, handgun and multiple knives, according to the Metropolitan Police Department – a “thug” and a “lone wolf”.
Yet amid the shocking scenes, one individual’s nonplussed reaction – which saw him continue to sit and eat his food as everyone else took cover – went viral online:
Brian Stelter, chief media analyst at CNN, reported that the man in question was agent Michael Glantz of the Creative Artists Agency:
“This man, does not give, one solitary, single, f***,” tweeted policy consultant Adam Cochran:
TV radio host Mike Gunz wrote: “No way he was passing up on that free food, even with Secret Service having their guns drawn out”:
“Nothing’s stopping this guy from finishing that place,” commented Republicans Against Trump:
Author Brittany Belle said: “Bro clearly knew what was going on and just kept eating, completely unfazed”:
“Not a care in the world,” tweeted podcaster Brian Krassenstein:
And another account wrote: “This man said ‘let me sit right here and eat my food’”:
Trump has said the dinner will be rescheduled.
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