In a statement that drew particular attention after the incident, Karoline Leavitt said in what appeared to be a joking tone: "There will definitely be some shots fired tonight." Speaking about the anticipated address by U.S. President Donald Trump, she emphasized that his speech would be in his signature style. "It will be classic Donald J. Trump. It will be funny, it will be entertaining," Leavitt said, adding: "There will be a few shots fired in the room tonight, so everyone should tune in." Her statement, which at the time was understood as a metaphor for sharp rhetoric or humor in the speech, took on an entirely different context after an actual shooting occurred during the dinner. Leavitt also stressed that the president prepares his own speeches. "In true Donald Trump style, he writes them himself, with a pen on paper, so it is very much his own work," she said.