The unserved dinners at the 2026 White House Correspondents’ Dinner did not go to waste.
According to CBS News Senior White House Correspondent Weijia Jiang, 2,600 dinners were donated.
She also clarified that they freeze dried the meat for a longer shelf life and gave them to 2 shelters.
“The Hilton donated the ~2600 dinners that went unserved at WHCD. They freeze dried the steak and lobster for longer shelf life before giving them to 2 shelters for abused women and children. HUGE thank you to the staff that worked through the night under terrible circumstances,” Jiang wrote in a post shared to X on Monday (April 27).
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The Hilton donated the ~2600 dinners that went unserved at WHCD. They freeze dried the steak and lobster for longer shelf life before giving them to 2 shelters for abused women and children. HUGE thank you to the staff that worked through the night under terrible circumstances.
— Weijia Jiang (@weijia) April 27, 2026
Over the weekend, President Donald Trump and many others were evacuated from the ballroom at the Washington Hilton after shots were fired in the hotel’s lobby.
The suspected shooter, Cole Allen, was apprehended and officially charged in court on Monday. The 31-year-old man was charged with attempting to assassinate Trump and two federal gun charges.
A video taken during the event of an older man seemingly unbothered by the chaos around him went viral as he was shown sitting at his table and eating his salad instead of moving out of the room.
He told TMZ he was glad people found enjoyment in the video after such a “horrific moment.”