Erika Kirk was reportedly backstage at the time of the shooting
Erika Kirk was reportedly escorted off the premises in tears as shots rang out during the White House Correspondents' dinner on Saturday night.
The event erupted into chaos, and security swept the entire top table, including President Trump, Melania, and heavily pregnant Karoline Leavitt off the main stage. The rest of the room was put on lockdown, with guests crouching down under their tables for safety. Guests were not allowed to leave the room.
Erika Kirk, the widow of the late Charlie Kirk, was reportedly backstage at the time. A video showed the Turning Point USA CEO being led away in tears.
Kirk lost her husband, 31-year-old Charlie Kirk, on September 10, 2025. The outspoken conservative activist was shot dead while speaking on the Utah Valley University campus. He left behind his wife and two young children.
Erika Kirk, who took over as head of her husband's organization after his untimely death, has been vocal about the traumatic loss of her husband.
On the main stage, Melania Trump looked equally as horrified as she sat next to her husband and a heavily pregnant Karoline Leavitt.
Despite their obvious terror at the scene unfolding before them, Trump insisted in a White House press briefing that he pushed for them to be allowed to return to the stage and for the event to proceed.
“I fought like hell to stay, but it was protocol," the president told the press.
Approximately an hour after the shots rang out, Chief of Communications for the Secret Service Anthony Guglielmi issued a statement, saying, "The president and the first lady are safe along all protectees. One individual is in custody. The condition of those involved is not yet known, and law enforcement is actively assessing the situation."
Source: Drudge Report
