NBC reporter’s “What is that?” reaction during White House shooting goes viral
NBC News correspondent Julie Tsirkin has gone viral after footage showed her asking “What is that?” as gunfire erupted outside the White House. Social media users quickly turned the moment into memes, while others defended her calm reaction under pressure.
- Julie Tsirkin’s reaction during a White House shooting spread widely online.
- Social media users turned the moment into memes and political commentary.
- Tsirkin later defended her response and criticised hostile online reactions.
An NBC News reporter’s visibly confused response during a shooting outside the White House has gone viral online, with social media users rapidly turning the moment into memes after footage captured her asking “What is that?” as gunfire erupted nearby.
The incident unfolded on Saturday evening near the intersection of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, where an armed suspect opened fire near a White House security checkpoint before being shot by US Secret Service officers, authorities said.
While several journalists reporting from the White House North Lawn immediately ducked for cover, footage of NBC News Capitol Hill correspondent Julie Tsirkin appearing momentarily unaware of the danger quickly spread across the internet.
Viral clip spreads across social media
Tsirkin was preparing to tape a segment outside the White House when loud bangs interrupted filming.
“What is that?” she asked on camera as popping noises echoed nearby.
“It sounds like fireworks,” a male voice off camera replied.
The clip then showed Tsirkin turning towards the direction of the sound before a Secret Service agent instructed reporters to take cover inside the White House press briefing room.
Social media users rapidly transformed the moment into meme content, with many comparing Tsirkin’s expression to a famous reaction meme by rapper Cardi B.
Others contrasted her response with footage of ABC News correspondent Selina Wang and CBS News reporter Aaron Navarro, both of whom immediately ducked after recognising the sound of gunfire.
One Threads user joked: “White people vs POC in horror movies.”
Another wrote: “Proof that white privilege is real. So much so that privileged white people don’t even process danger.”
Other users defended Tsirkin, praising her calm demeanour and professionalism.
“We love an unbothered QUEEN,” one Instagram user commented.
“I think that not panicking and keeping your professional composure is actually a specific skillset evidently needed for this job,” another wrote.
Tsirkin responds to memes and criticism
Tsirkin later responded to the online attention with humour, posting on X: “I'm glad I could take one for the team with @nbcsnl on summer break.”
“Thanks for the memes, internet! Hope you'll stick around for the reporting,” she added.
In a longer Instagram statement, Tsirkin said she had not immediately recognised the noises as gunfire because she was inside the White House grounds.
“You never know how you’re going to react. I repeat: you never know how you’re going to react,” she wrote.
“I have had hostile environment training. I’ve been in several. I certainly had no idea I would be recorded while experiencing something like this.”
“One month ago, when I heard clear gunshots I immediately jumped under a table,” she added. “Today, I genuinely was not sure; I was inside the White House, the most secure place on the planet, and we convinced ourselves the sounds were just about anything else.”
Tsirkin also said she was attempting to observe how Secret Service agents were responding in real time while continuing to report.
“It was only when I came face-to-face with an agent, gun drawn, that I immediately ran to the White House,” she wrote.
She later criticised conspiracy theories surrounding the shooting and condemned hostile online reactions.
“What disgusts me and upsets me more than anything I’ve experienced and witnessed is the rhetoric online. It’s ugly,” she wrote.
Journalists caught filming during shooting
Several reporters were recording live broadcasts when the shooting began.
Wang said she was filming a social media video when the gunfire erupted.
“It sounded like dozens of gunshots. We were told to sprint to the press briefing room where we are holding now,” she wrote on X.
Video shared online showed Wang and her cameraman ducking for cover as shots rang out nearby.
Navarro told the BBC that reporters were later locked inside the briefing room for around 30 minutes while Secret Service officers secured the area.
“As soon as we heard it, we ducked down and I started to see other reporters starting to run, and you shortly heard Secret Service officers saying ‘get inside, get inside’,” he said.
Shooting outside White House
Authorities said the shooting occurred shortly after 6 p.m. local time beside the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. President Donald Trump was inside the White House at the time but was unharmed.
The BBC, citing CBS News, identified the suspect as 21-year-old Nasire Best.
Law enforcement sources told CBS that Best had a documented history of mental health conditions and was known to both the Secret Service and the Metropolitan Police Department.
Authorities said the suspect pulled a revolver from a bag and began firing before officers returned fire. A bystander was also wounded during the incident.
The Secret Service said the suspect was taken to hospital after being shot but later died from his injuries.
The White House was temporarily placed under lockdown while officers secured the grounds and escorted journalists indoors. Officials said no protectees or White House operations were affected.
