The couple shares three children, Ewan, 8, Vivek, 6, and Mirabel, 4, and is expecting their fourth child
Credit: Shannon Finney/Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Vice President JD Vance recalled the chaos during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting and his evacuation by the Secret Service
- He shared in an interview on Wednesday, April 29, that his wife, Usha Vance, was home with their three children during the incident
- Vance said Usha had a more difficult time with the shooting as it was happening because she wasn’t aware of what was actually occurring
Vice President JD Vance revealed that the shooting at the White House Correspondents Dinner was more difficult for his wife, Usha Vance.
On April 25, suspected shooter Cole Tomas Allen, 31, breached security at the Washington Hilton hotel and allegedly attempted to assassinate President Donald Trump. At the time of the incident, the second lady was home with their three children, Ewan, 8, Vivek, 6, and Mirabel, 4. Usha, 40, is currently pregnant with the couple's fourth child.
Although she wasn't in the room at the time of the shooting, it was “tougher” for Usha than for Vance because she wasn't aware of what actually occurred, the vice president said on The Will Cain Show on Wednesday, April 29. She “started hearing things through text messages and social media.”
The vice president noted that he also “really did not know what was going on” during the shooting, telling host Will Cain that he was sitting next to Trump when “a lot of commotion” began.
“There were some loud noises, I had no idea what it was,” he said. “Before I had any idea of what was going on I started seeing people duck under the tables, and respond to what was going on far in the back of the ballroom.”
That's when a Secret Service agent came over to him and whispered in his ear that it was time to leave, Vance explained. The agent then grabbed Vance's jacket and whisked him off his feet, before he walked off stage with the security detail and went to a holding room.
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“The first thing that happened that action freaked me out a little bit was we heard an agent had been shot, and in the fog of war, I thought ‘Oh, my god, this guy is actually seriously injured or maybe worse," Vance recalled. "We found out later, of course, he was not injured, not seriously injured.”
The Secret Service agent who was shot in the chest while wearing a protective ballistic vest was recovering and in “great shape” as of Saturday, according to Trump, 79.
The vice president also praised the Secret Service for their work, saying on Wednesday, “I gained appreciation for what an amazing job the agents of the Secret Service do. They went right to me, way to the president of the United States, put their lives in harm's way.”
“I've had a Secret Service detail for all of two years. I wouldn't say I'm used to it, but it's interesting; you kind of get used to it,” he said. “They're driving you to the White House. They're the people that hang out with your kids when your kids are running around outside, they kind of stay in the background of your life a little bit, and it's easy to forget the reason they are there is for nights like what happened Saturday night.”
“It could have been worse,” he said. “Law enforcement did a great job.”
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Allen allegedly wrote a "manifesto" about his alleged attack prior to the incident, the White House previously told PEOPLE. "The suspect's written manifesto clearly stated he wanted to target administration officials," the White House said.
The long text message — which was reportedly sent to members of Allen's family, friends, and colleagues, according to a New York Times report — led Allen's brother to contact police, PEOPLE previously reported.
The suspect arrived at the hotel carrying a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun and multiple additional weapons beneath his shirt, including a holstered knife, a shoulder holster holding a .38-caliber semiautomatic pistol and an ammunition bag, the Associated Press reported, citing authorities.
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Upon arrival, he passed a security checkpoint and allegedly fired shots, prompting the responding security officials to wrestle Allen to the ground and put him in handcuffs.
On Monday, April 27, Allen was arraigned in a federal courtroom in Washington, D.C. He was charged with attempting to assassinate the president of the United States as well as two federal gun charges, PEOPLE previously reported.
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