This is The Guardian.

The biggest thing I remember was just being utterly sort of confused and that sense of commotion.

Trump seizing this moment for his own political advantage,

turned this into an advert for his $400 million dollar ballroom at the White House.

I didn't want to say this, but this is why we have to have the ballroom.

That's why Secret Service. That's why the military are demanding it.

What journalists experienced

on Saturday nights is frankly what millions of Americans have in town halls, in churches, even in

schools. Political violence does remain in America a real characteristic of the Trump era.

The shooting at the White House Correspondence Gala in Washington over the weekend

has raised serious questions about how the suspect was able to get so close to the president.

We speak to our reporter who was there. From The Guardians today in Focus, this is the latest with me,

Lucy Hoff. Well, dialing in is David Smith, our Washington Bureau Chief.

David, thanks for joining us.

You were at the White House Correspondence Association dinner on Saturday in Washington.

Let's start by, can you just describe how it all unfolded and what it was like for you being in that room?

Yes, it's great to be here. This is an annual

dinner I've attended many times and the evening began very normally guests in tuxedos and

ball gowns filing into this subterranean ballroom at the Washington Hilton Hotel. Of course,

what was different this year was Donald Trump was attending as

president. For the first time, he saluted during the national anthem, took his seat. And for about 30 to 40 minutes,

we were just making small talk, eating salad, drinking wine. And then suddenly I heard some loud bangs

...