What It Was Like Inside the Ballroom During the White House Correspondents’ Dinner

WASHINGTON—An evening meant as a celebration of the First Amendment and the journalists who cover the White House went from glitz and glamour to fear and confusion in a matter of moments on April 25 when an attacker attempted to rush through security at the Washington Hilton hotel by shooting at Secret Service agents.

Nearly 3,000 guests dressed in tuxedos and gowns were packed into the approximately 29,000-square-foot International Ballroom, where the White House Correspondents’ Dinner has been held since 1968.