Amid Panic During White House Shooting, This Man Kept Eating His Salad: 'I Wanted To Watch'

Last Updated:April 28, 2026, 23:29 IST

Michael Glantz, a top agent who represents major media figures, was seen unfazed and continuing his meal while others around him ducked for cover during the shooting.

Chaos erupted at the Washington Hilton ballroom on Saturday when a gunman opened fire at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, attended by US President Donald Trump and other top officials of his administration. While others ran for cover, one man remained unfazed by what was happening around him and continued his meal.

A video went viral showing Michael Glantz, a top agent at Creative Artists Agency (CAA) – one of Hollywood’s most influential firms – and a guest at the dinner, calmly eating his burrata salad as the people around him ducked for cover. A few feet away, the stage had been cleared, with only a rifle-wielding officer in view.

The video turned Glantz into an overnight social media sensation. A user called him “my man!", while another called him a “Salad man". Others also joked that he simply refused to waste an expensive meal.

Who Is Glantz & Why He Refused To Duck?

As per reports, Glantz is a prominent agent at CAA who represents major media figures, including CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer, who was also present at the event. He is widely known as a “super agent" for representing top TV stars and other showbiz talent.

In an interview with the New York Times, Glantz said he was unfazed by the commotion and that he wanted to see what was happening. “I’m a New Yorker. We live with sirens and activity happening all the time. I wasn’t scared. There are hundreds of Secret Service agents hurtling themselves over tables and chairs, and I wanted to watch," he said.

“A lot of people said, ‘Why didn’t you get on the floor? Everybody else at your table and in the room was on the floor’," he said.

“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. 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."

In a video, his wife Heidi Skolnik, a well-known sports nutritionist, talked to him about the viral moment, where Glantz said he was just “watching the action." He also acknowledged that the situation was serious and frightening for many, even as he chose not to react in the same way.

However, Glantz was not the only one unfazed by the action. According to a NYT report, former Goldman Sachs chief executive Lloyd Blankfein was sitting with CBS News journalists toward the front of the room when the emergency occurred. As the confusion unfolded, the report said that Blankfein turned to his seatmate and asked, “Are you going to finish that salad?"

White House Shooting Suspect Charged

Meanwhile, the man accused of opening fire at the dinner was charged on Monday with attempting ​to assassinate US President Donald Trump, who was whisked away by Secret Service agents during the incident.

Cole Tomas Allen, 31, could face life in prison if convicted. US Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told reporters after the hearing that investigators believe Allen targeted Trump in part because he appeared to refer to the president ​as a “traitor" and called him other epithets in an email he sent to relatives the night of the incident.

News world Amid Panic During White House Shooting, This Man Kept Eating His Salad: 'I Wanted To Watch'

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