White House Correspondents’ Association President Weijia Jiang praised journalists for their “calm and courage” on Sunday morning, following a shooting incident at the 2026 White House Correspondents’ Dinner the previous night.
In a statement posted on X, Jiang, who also serves as CBS News senior White House correspondent, described the event as “a harrowing moment for everyone in attendance.”
“Last night’s shooting at the Washington Hilton was a harrowing moment for everyone in attendance,” she wrote. “We express our deepest gratitude to the U.S. Secret Service and all law enforcement personnel who ensured the safety of everyone in the ballroom and beyond. Their actions protected thousands of guests, and we wish a full and speedy recovery to the officer who was injured in the line of duty. We are grateful everyone in attendance was unharmed, including the president, the first lady and the vice president.”
CBS News’ @weijia, White House Correspondents' Association president, described sitting next to President Trump the moment SWAT officers pulled the president off the dais at Saturday night’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner after shots were fired. “It all happened so fast,” she… pic.twitter.com/Z3U4lh26K6
— CBS News (@CBSNews) April 26, 2026
Jiang continued:
“Our dinner exists to celebrate the First Amendment and the hard daily work of the journalists who defend it. Last night, those journalists showed exactly the kind of calm and courage that work demands, jumping into reporting immediately after the incident unfolded. We are proud of everyone in that room.”