‘Really weird’: After gunfire at Washington dinner, the other parties went on, uneasily

WASHINGTON – The music stopped around 8:45pm on April 25 as the news spread through the party at the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington.

Hosted by the newsletter platform Substack, the party was attended mostly by journalists.

When they checked their phones, they saw that there had been gunfire at the Washington Hilton, where US President Donald Trump was attending the White House correspondents’ dinner.

Chris Best, CEO of Substack, took the stage and tried to reassure the guests. “We believe that we are safe here,” he said.

Ms Olivia Troye, a former adviser to Vice-President Mike Pence who is now running for Congress as a Democrat in Virginia, said she had gotten “chills” when she heard the news.

“My phone blew up from friends: ‘Are you there? Are you safe?’” she said.

For the next hour, no one was permitted to leave the Substack party. Many guests lined up at the bar.

Keith Edwards, a news analyst and YouTuber, said he felt “numb.”

Aaron Parnas, a political commentator on TikTok, began filming a video for his followers.

By the time the music resumed, most guests were scrolling through their social media feeds.

“I think people are not quite sure how to process it,” writer Steven Beschloss said.

The weekend of the White House correspondents’ dinner is a highlight of the US capital’s annual social calendar, with dozens of parties before and after the main event.

On the night of April 25, after a suspect was apprehended and Mr Trump gave a news conference, hosts across the city made the decision to proceed with their plans.

Journalists and government officials, many in formal attire, made their way to the Swiss Embassy for a party held by Time magazine. Others attended a gathering hosted by NBC News at the French ambassador’s residence.

MS NOW, the cable news channel that had been called MSNBC before a corporate break-up last year, went ahead with its event at Dupont Underground, a cavernous arts centre and events space beneath Dupont Circle.

“We wanted it to be a place to gather, not necessarily a celebration,” said Richard Hudock, a company spokesperson. He added that a planned appearance by a drum line had been scrapped.

Oz Pearlman, a magician known as Oz the Mentalist, arrived around midnight. The music was melancholy. The dance floor was empty.

“I’m feeling shook up,” Pearlman said.

Earlier that night, he had been with the president and hundreds of others at the Washington Hilton.

He was in the middle of a performance when he heard what he thought was a bomb. He dropped to the ground.

“We didn’t know if POTUS or the first lady had been hit for an extended period,” he said.

He seemed glad to see that people were still gathering.

“I mean, what else can we do at this point?” Pearlman said. “It is definitely like an adrenaline dump.”

Jon Levine, a reporter at The Washington Free Beacon, a conservative news site, called the violent incident a “terrible tragedy,” but said he had no problem with parties continuing.

“As long as nobody was killed or seriously injured, we should celebrate that a tragedy was averted,” he said.

Liz Plank, the host of the podcast “Boy Problems,” was not so sure.

“Even when it happened, I just thought, There’s no way we’re going out tonight,” she said. “It’s very odd to see everybody just continue to have drinks and have fun. There’s something very dystopian about it.”

More guests filed in, including CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins and Representative Maxwell Alejandro Frost of Florida.

Former CNN anchor Jim Acosta chatted with Jacob Frey, the mayor of Minneapolis.

Around 1am, the music picked up. A few people ventured onto the dance floor. Servers circulated with tequila shots and crab cake sliders.

“I think it speaks to something really weird that’s happening in the US, which is that there can be an active shooter, the president can be involved, so can all of the press, and people get back to normal,” said Deja Foxx, a digital strategist and former Democratic congressional candidate in Arizona.

“I’m not sure what that means, but it doesn’t feel great.”

Adam Mockler, a progressive commentator, saw things differently.

“Every time there’s an attack on our democracy, whether it’s like what happened tonight or whether it’s coming from the highest echelons of power, we need people to stand up and push back against this illiberal action,” he said.

“So the fact that there’s still people here, representing freedom of speech, representing freedom of press, is beautiful.” NYTIMES