Many attendees took cover on the floor and under tables as a gunman attempted to enter the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner on Saturday. However, one man went viral for his remarkably different response while police swept the room and Secret Service swiftly removed President Donald Trump and other dignitaries.
Unflappable Dining
Creative Artists Agency agent Michael Glantz was caught on C-SPAN's cameras remaining in his seat and even taking a few bites from his spring pea and burrata salad as chaos unfolded around him.
Glantz told the New York Times he had two reasons for staying put. "First of all, I have a bad back. I couldn't get on the floor, and if I did get on the floor, they'd have to bring in people to get me off the floor," he explained. "And No. 2, I'm a hygiene freak. There was no freaking way I was getting in my new tux on the dirty Hilton floor. It was not happening."
Online Sensation
Glantz quickly became a minor sensation online, with social media users praising his composure. In a video posted on Instagram, he told White House Correspondents Insider he wasn't nervous. "Born and raised in New York," he said. "Didn't scare me at all. I didn't want to miss the show."
He told TMZ that his primary concern was for his client, CNN's Wolf Blitzer, who was near the gunman when he opened fire. One Secret Service agent was struck by a bullet, which hit his protective vest, and is expected to recover. The suspect, identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, was detained at the scene and will be arraigned on Monday. No one was seriously injured.
Check out the full sequence, as captured by C-SPAN, below.
