Nicki Minaj’s traffic jam turned into a lifeline when shots rang out at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday night.
Nicki Minaj arrived late to attend the White House Correspondents’ Dinner when gunfire erupted at the Washington Hilton Hotel on Saturday night, forcing the Secret Service to remove President Donald Trump and his cabinet from office.
The Trinidadian rapper secured an invitation via Fox News as her political alliance with Trump deepened in recent months, but timing worked in her favor when a suspect, 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, stormed the security checkpoint at 8:36 p.m. armed with a shotgun, a pistol and multiple knives.
Chaos erupted in the ballroom as attendees scrambled for cover after Allen shot a Secret Service agent before being subdued and arrested.
Shortly after news of the shooting broke, Nikki posted a video on TikTok showing her face in a car with an American flag emoji and a praying hands emoji, confirming she was stuck in traffic and never attended the event.
Multiple social media reports confirmed she was late and missed the entire event, which marked Trump’s first dinner as president after boycotting the event for more than a decade.
Acting Attorney General Todd Branch said law enforcement believed Allen was targeting Trump administration officials, possibly including the president himself, according to Time magazine.
The suspect allegedly took a train to Washington from Torrance, California, where he worked as a teacher and had a degree in mechanical engineering from Caltech.
Trump later described Allen as a “lone-wolf killer” and noted that the officer who was shot was protected by a bulletproof vest and was in good condition.
Allen faces charges of use of a firearm in the commission of a violent crime and assault on a federal officer with a dangerous weapon, with additional charges expected following his arraignment on Monday, April 27.
The incident derailed the annual event, which typically features comedy and satirical remarks from the sitting president, but officials quickly rescheduled it for a future date.
Nikki’s political journey has made major headlines over the past year, from her appearance at the Turning Point USA Festival last December and announcing her support for Trump to her appearance at the Trump Account Launch Summit in January, where she shook the president’s hand on stage.
