A shooting at the White House brought an abrupt end to President Donald Trump‘s press briefing on Monday evening, and now people all over the world are trying to make sense of the scene. The president was interrupted by a Secret Service agent in the middle of his remarks, and led away from the podium mid-sentence. So far, reports indicate that there was a shooting outside of the White House.
The White House was put on lockdown on Monday evening, according to a report by CBS News. Moments after Secret Service agents quietly locked all the doors to the press briefing room, they ushered the president out through a back door. Meanwhile, agents reportedly detained the suspected shooter outside of the fencing surrounding the White House. They shot the suspect and then took him to them to a nearby hospital. Trump then returned to the press briefing.
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WATCH: President Trump abruptly walks out of his coronavirus briefing while delivering his opening statement, after receiving a message from a Secret Service agent. He’s heard asking, “What’s happening?” https://t.co/Nj065CIsxp pic.twitter.com/hbmVeazBmC
— CBS News (@CBSNews) August 10, 2020
Even the president himself did not seem to have many more details than that as he returned to the podium. He told reporters: “it might not have had anything to do with me, it might have been something else.” He also said that further information would come from the Secret Service themselves.
CBS News journalists on the scene observed law enforcement agents scrambling all over the White House campus. Some indicated that they heard only one shot, suggesting that it might have been the one that hit the suspect. The suspect may have been shot before firing a shot at all.
Trump’s press briefing was held to discuss the executive order he signed on Saturday in an attempt to force economic relief measures through. The order would provide a $400 emergency unemployment enhancement for four weeks, to replace the $600 bonus that expired on July 31. However, Trump’s order would take the funding that is normally used by FEMA, and some critics say it is irresponsible to do so in the midst of hurricane season.
NEWS: President Trump abruptly leaves the briefing room moments after secret service locked the doors. White House appears to be on lockdown. pic.twitter.com/QaoB3RLuBr
— Brett Samuels (@Brett_Samuels27) August 10, 2020
There has also been debate about whether or not Trump is legally allowed to make an executive order on this magnitude. Before he took office, Trump often criticized former President Barack Obama for over-using executive orders, especially for divisive partisan issues. In a 2012, tweet, he called Obama’s orders “major power grabs of authority.”
Trump faced similar criticisms this weekend after signing his order. During an appearance on Fox News, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the order “unconstitutional slop.” It is still not clear how much of Trump’s order can or will be enacted.
