Trump expected to give statement on WH Correspondents’ Dinner cancellation

[0:00] And I do believe we have Brett Baer on the phone once again. [0:04] Is Brett with us? [0:06] Yes, I'm right here. [0:07] Hi, Brett. Thank you so much. It's Alicia Acuna. [0:11] So glad that you and Amy and everyone are safe. [0:14] Wanting to know now what you, any update that you have and what's going on around you? [0:19] Well, we've evacuated now. We're out of the building. [0:24] And as I, you may have heard early on, we were escorted by Fox security. [0:29] By the way, we should give a big applause to our own security staff that worked alongside the Secret Service. [0:36] And in those chaotic first minutes, for seconds, I should say, as everybody is taking to the ground and going under tables, [0:42] and you see the president being escorted out there with the cordon of Secret Service agents, [0:48] at the same time, you know, our security was jumping to all the executives and all the tables that we had and did a great job. [0:55] We managed to get out through a back door to a lower point of holding room where we had a pre-party. [1:04] And that's when I described heavily armed Secret Service, you know, full gear, as you're seeing on the screen now. [1:14] Those guys, looking like those guys, came into the room and said, you had to get out of this area, run, run to underneath the Hilton, [1:28] because they were looking for somebody else if there was another possible shoot. [1:32] It does not appear there was ever any other threat, but they were clearing room by room. [1:36] Now, you know, and Sean talked to the president with this service agent who was, but it was, the bullet was staring by, and he will be doing well. [1:53] They're obviously clearing the entire ballroom right now, and the president's getting ready to give a press conference. [1:59] Listen, the president has been through this, and he's going to have some words about being, standing up to this kind of threat. [2:08] And, you know, he says he wants to do it again within 30 days, and I'm sure we'll be back in the Washington Hilton in that same spot with a lot of security. [2:19] And, Kevin, to your point, you're right. [2:21] Different levels, they shut off streets three, four streets away. [2:26] As you get closer to the Washington Hilton, we went through a number of different stops with our tickets, [2:32] and then, obviously, the magnetometers to get into the ballroom itself. [2:38] Indeed, Brett. [2:39] Go ahead, Alicia. [2:40] Oh, thank you. [2:41] Brett, I just, I was struck by something. [2:44] We were, when we were on the big weekend show, we were showing all of our Fox family going through the red carpet, [2:50] at the step and repeat, and taking pictures, and I saw video of you and your beautiful wife, Amy, [2:56] and I just, I have to ask you what that was like for you. [2:59] We have covered these for decades. [3:02] Um, tragically, we've covered shootings, we've covered all sorts of, um, scary and terrible events, [3:09] but it's not often where you have a loved one next to you in that moment. [3:14] And you're also part of it? [3:15] No, and I, yeah, and I was worried. [3:17] She was shaken up and, um, went under the table, and as did many people. [3:23] Uh, I was kind of sitting up, and I actually used my phone to, to take video, and he's just telling me, [3:31] get down, uh, get down the security. [3:34] You know, I'm sitting next to the Homeland Security Secretary. [3:37] His agents are on top of him, pushing him down to make sure, uh, he's not popping up, [3:42] and they're trying to figure out a way to get him out of the ballroom quickly. [3:46] Um, yeah, I was, I was worried, and she was very shaken, uh, I should say, but, you know, [3:51] two tables away was Erica Kirk, who also was under the table, and, um, obviously was [3:57] very shaken up, and, and she was escorted out, and, um, crying in the back hall, [4:02] as you can imagine, um, the fascination of her husband. [4:07] Boy, it just really tugs at the heartstrings when you hear stories like Bretts and others, you know, [4:14] I was struck by the fact that they ushered Caroline Levitt, uh, out of, uh, harm's way so quickly. [4:20] For those who know, the, uh, the, uh, the White House press secretary, of course, is, um, uh, [4:26] I, I want to say eight and a half months pregnant. [4:29] So, um, uh, they were able to usher her off of the stage safely, but, again, families like Bretts and [4:35] others, uh, and a harrowing circumstance, certainly in the early stages, you just don't know what's going on. [4:41] Joining us now is Martha McCallum and Trace Gallagher. Uh, they're at the White House, uh, [4:46] uh, correspondence dinner. Uh, they're not quite ready yet. We'll be, uh, joined by them momentarily. [4:51] Brett, uh, if I might, uh, just add this last layer. Uh, we're expecting the president to go to [4:57] the Brady press briefing room and offer his remarks and perhaps a statement and more. Does that surprise [5:03] you? And what should we expect him to say? No, I don't think it surprises me at all. And, uh, to Sean's [5:09] conversation with the president that he referenced, uh, I think he had to be persuaded by the security [5:14] folks, uh, not to go back into that room, uh, cause it would take them far too long to clear, [5:19] uh, the hotel. Uh, you know, it's a big security challenge anytime the president goes any place [5:26] and in a big room like that, that's like 1500 plus people. Um, you know, it, it is a big lift, [5:34] but I, I think that the president's going to talk about resilience, talk about getting past the, [5:38] talking about, uh, you know, similar message to Butler and after the assassination attempt in [5:45] Florida, uh, where he, he said they can't stand back at this within 30 days. So I assume you'll hear, [5:57] um, President Donald Trump by the time he takes the podium in the, uh, White House briefing. [6:06] You know, and Brett, we're watching, um, the White House briefing room. We're, we're looking at [6:09] the camera from where we are right now. And I believe I saw someone in a tux. It looks like [6:14] some people who were in the room where you were somehow made it also to the White House briefing [6:20] room, which is incredible, talking to Aisha. And I've been to a couple of White House [6:23] Correspondents in her. It's been years, but getting in and out, as she said, is nearly impossible [6:28] on a good night. Um, but yeah, I'm looking at a woman right now. She has an evening gown on. [6:32] It's, it's just so striking. Yeah, it is. And, you know, the press pool travels with the president. [6:38] I, I don't know if they managed to get into the vans soon thereafter when the president [6:42] was escorted off the property, but it usually having been in the press pool many years, um, [6:48] you know, it's a close pool and where the president goes, eventually those reporters go with. And, [6:53] uh, that may be what you're saying. I think I saw David Spunt walk by there and he's probably [6:58] in position as well. Um, yeah, you're going to see a lot of people in formal wear in the [7:03] White House briefing room. Uh, it was supposed to be a celebration of the first amendment. Um, [7:07] Ose Perlman, you know, was going to do his whole, uh, routine, uh, with the president. [7:12] The president was expected to talk for, you know, not until later in the evening, [7:17] but, um, you know, it was a celebration, really. And the fact that he showed up was a big thing, [7:22] uh, and, and obviously was mentioned by the president of the White House Correspondents [7:27] Association at the beginning. Brett, we want to, uh, continue the conversation. [7:33] As we're looking over here on the left side, I see some familiar faces, [7:36] people that I'm sure you would recognize as well, uh, as they are now preparing the podium. [7:40] Uh, what happens usually if the president is going to speak in the Brady press briefing room, [7:46] they will bring in, uh, uh, a bevy, sometimes as many as a half dozen, uh, old glories, [7:53] American flags. And then they will, uh, bring, I imagine, uh, because there were so many, uh, [7:59] individual cabinet members that were there, it is highly likely that they, too, will speak tonight. [8:04] Would that be your expectation as well, Brett? [8:06] Well, you know, you may have the FBI director, uh, talk about what they know. Um, I'm, I'm not, [8:14] don't know that for a fact, as we were running out, uh, following the secret service, uh, and [8:19] there, there were orders to get out of those rooms under, underneath the Washington Hilton. We passed [8:23] by Kash Patel, who was, uh, talking to a bunch of officials and he was on site. So, uh, I don't know [8:30] if he'll be there, uh, but clearly the president, this is the president's moment to make, uh, about this [8:36] night, but maybe broadly about the city we live. All right, Brett, stand by.