Viral video shows guests grabbing wine during White House dinner evacuation

A viral video showing several women collecting bottles of wine and champagne as guests fled the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner has set off a sharp debate online after a security scare at the Washington Hilton in Washington.

The incident unfolded Saturday night as President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance and other officials were attending the annual black-tie dinner. According to reports, a man carrying a shotgun tried to force his way toward the ballroom shortly before Trump was scheduled to speak. Secret Service agents stopped him outside the venue after shots were fired, and the ballroom was evacuated as attendees ducked under tables and rushed for exits.

In the video that spread widely on X, several guests can be seen calmly picking up bottles from abandoned tables while others hurried out. The clip, posted by Jennifer Coffindaffer, a retired FBI agent and NewsNation contributor, was set to Disturbed’s version of “The Sound of Silence,” adding to the attention it drew online.

Reactions were split. Some users mocked the scene as opportunistic but harmless, arguing that the bottles had already been paid for as part of the event. Others called the behavior tacky and said it showed poor judgment given that people nearby had just heard gunfire and were trying to escape.

The dinner, one of Washington’s most visible political gatherings, was thrown into chaos around 8:30 p.m. Eastern time when the suspected gunman approached the hotel. Law enforcement officials later identified him as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California. He is expected to appear in court Monday on firearms and assault charges.

Trump later described online claims that the episode had been staged as “sick” and false in an interview with CBS News’s “60 Minutes.” The White House Correspondents’ Association dinner was left without its normal finish after the evacuation, and organizers are expected to restock supplies for a rescheduled event.