During the chaos at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Richard Strauss’s thoughts immediately turned to his son when gunshots pierced the air.
After the alleged shooter dashed past the security checkpoint, Strauss, a communications strategist from D.C., found himself on the ballroom floor at the Washington Hilton, gripped by fear and uncertainty while surrounded by other distressed guests.
“It was terrifying, surreal. All I could think about was my son. I had no idea what was happening,” he recounted, having once worked for Clinton. Unbeknownst to him, a photographer was capturing his stunned expression for an image that would make headlines nationwide.
Meanwhile, Paul Strauss, known as D.C.’s “Shadow” senator, was photographed lying awkwardly on the floor with his head propped up.
“I heard someone shout, ‘A gunshot went off’… and then hit the ground,” he described, clarifying that he wasn’t related to Richard.
Kerry Kennedy, daughter of the late Senator Robert F. Kennedy, was also present.
“We were all trying to pay attention to Kennedy, given her family’s tragic history,” Paul noted.
The latest on the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner follows.
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) ultimately climbed over Kennedy to ensure her safety, though only her hair was visible in one photograph. The scene turned chaotic as her brother, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and his wife, Sheryl Hines, were escorted out in a “crazy moment.”
Kennedy later recalled the “mosaic” of bodies on the floor post-shooting.
“I knew it was a gunshot right away,” said Nathan Howard, a freelance photographer and member of the press. “Less than a second later, I jumped up and ran toward the ballroom, spotting frightened guests hiding under tables.”
It was initially unclear whether the gunfire originated inside or outside the ballroom.
Prior to the incident, shooting suspect Cole Allen had shared a selfie with a gun, knife, and extra ammo, only about half an hour before the attack on President Trump.
Paul Strauss remarked that his 90-year-old father discovered the photo in a print edition of the Florida Post, with some mistakenly thinking he was receiving CPR. However, Jackie Kucinich, a journalist also present, did not administer aid. Strauss was primarily focused on keeping his head up and assessing the situation while avoiding the carpet.
He jokingly mentioned the discomfort of taking cover but admitted his daughters’ texts from that night still linger in his mind.
“Blood and play dead,” one daughter texted, recalling a school incident involving a sniper scare in 2022.
Concern for Kerry Kennedy arose, given her father’s tragic past with assassins.
In the aftermath, once things cooled down, Richard Strauss felt a sudden hunger—similar to someone munching on a salad amid a crisis.
“I was hungry, and I was thinking of having a little more salad,” said Michael Glantz from Creative Artists Agency. “There was plenty of red wine with it. I just thought, ‘I wish it were red wine and not red blood.’
