A performer standing beside Trump said he locked eyes with the president as both lay on the ground, fearing they were about to die, after shots rang out at the event.

Shots outside the dining room

Guests at a correspondents' dinner scattered and hit the floor after gunfire erupted at the venue. Police said a man charged security outside the dining room armed with multiple weapons.

Trump and a performer side by side on the ground

Oz Pearlman, a mentalist who had been speaking with President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, and press secretary Karoline Leavitt at the moment the attack began, said he and the president ended up roughly half a metre apart on the ground. Pearlman said he locked eyes with Trump as they ducked for cover and believed they were "about to die."

Confusion and fear in the room

Attendees described not knowing what was happening as the low thudding sound of gunfire reached the dining room. The uncertainty about the source and scale of the threat added to the panic as people sought cover.