All of us, men and women alike, have protective instincts towards ourselves and our loved ones when it comes to dangerous or potentially dangerous situations. I've experienced it several times in my life, with one recent experience being when my mom and I were headed out to run a couple of errands and grab some lunch.
We were walking to the car, and because of her mobility challenges, I usually help her get in the car before I get in. I'll grab her walker after she's safely seated, put it in the back seat, and then I'll get in on the driver's side, and we'll head out. This particular day was a little different.
As we were headed to the car, there was a man with a backpack walking down our side of the street. While it's not uncommon to see people walking in the neighborhood, I didn't get a good vibe about this one, and I was soon proven right.
He stopped walking at one point and looked directly at me as I was trying to usher Mom to the car as fast as I could. He asked me if we had any money to spare. My mom didn't acknowledge him, so I realized then that she didn't hear him and wasn't aware he was there. As all of this was going on, I told mom in my sternest voice possible: "Get in the car now, and don't argue with me."
As he continued to talk, I shoved Mom's walker into the back seat and hastily made my way around the other side to get in the car, praying he wouldn't come into the yard or walk up the driveway. I never said a word to him, but I was watchful out of the corner of my eye. Fortunately, he resumed walking down the street moments later, and afterwards, I told mom thank you for not arguing with me or questioning me when I'd told her to get in the car.
She told me she knew by the sound of my voice that something was up and assured me that would always be how she reacted when I used that tone.
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Relatedly, after the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner shooting on Saturday night, I was scrolling through X to see what people were saying, to check out the images and videos from the scene.
Almost immediately, I noticed in several photos and videos that some of the men in the crowd were hovering over the women in protective stances after the shots were fired. In one, which unfortunately I didn't grab the X link to, an unidentified man was protectively lying on top of a woman to shield her while others around him were crouched.
In this one, a man, presumably a Secret Service agent, put himself between President Trump and danger:
Much respect for this gentleman who quite literally runs to stand in front of the president and block him with his body. pic.twitter.com/d1jt5oIBXP
— Jasmin Laine (@JasminLaine_) April 26, 2026
There was also this one of SecWar Pete Hegseth, who probably never hit the floor a single time, guarding his wife, Jennifer, and scanning all around to try and locate the threat and make sure the POTUS was okay:
— InfantryDort (@infantrydort) April 26, 2026
An expanded photo showed White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller protecting his pregnant wife, Katie:
You can tell a lot about a man about how they instinctively respond when it hits the fan.
— Bethany S. Mandel (@bethanyshondark) April 26, 2026
In this photo, Stephen Miller moves on top of his pregnant wife to protect her.
Pete Hegseth stands over his wife, surveying the scene while leaning over, protecting her. pic.twitter.com/kEvHgg56bo
Not surprisingly, though the Useful Idiots on the left were claiming Miller used her as a human shield, the opposite was true:
Rational Americans do not sacrifice themselves, their families or their children to JIHAD like Palestinians.
— Bloom Desert (@bloomin_deserts) April 26, 2026
Here Miller is using his body as a shield to protect his pregnant wife & unborn child. They are both protected by Secret Service.
Palestinianism is EVIL. pic.twitter.com/THSuXQZvfH
There was also this, about FBI Director Kash Patel:
Director Patel was actively making urgent calls to his command center and Washington Field Office, coordinating to get agents on scene immediately.
Cell service inside the event space was terrible, something nearly every attendee has confirmed.
He then located Erika Kirk, brought her to safety, and ensured she was escorted out securely.
Real leadership under fire. The critics have zero clue what actually happened.
Director Patel was actively making urgent calls to his command center and Washington Field Office, coordinating to get agents on scene immediately.
— Erica Knight (@_EricaKnight) April 26, 2026
Cell service inside the event space was terrible, something nearly every attendee has confirmed.
He then located Erika Kirk,… https://t.co/WHAsXVIw28
And regarding Trump and the immediate aftermath of the shots being fired, Spanish journalist David Alandete provided this important recounting (originally written in Spanish, translated by X - bolded emphasis added by me):
I was right there. I saw everything. The reason JD Vance left earlier through a different door from Trump's is that he was alone. On the other side of the table were the president, the first lady, and the press secretary, who was very pregnant. The Secret Service immediately created a security perimeter to get them out. Trump, who doesn't let himself get carried away easily, demanded explanations. He wanted to know what was happening, ordered that the first lady's evacuation be prioritized, asked that the journalists be removed, and decided to leave on his own two feet but making sure to get the press secretary out first. He didn't want to duck down. He fell briefly after a shove from the agents and left the room on foot.
Estaba al lado. Lo vi todo. La razón por la que JD Vance salió antes por una puerta distinta a la de Trump es que iba solo. Al otro lado de la mesa estaban el presidente, la primera dama y la secretaria de prensa, muy embarazada. El Servicio Secreto creó de inmediato un perímetro… pic.twitter.com/lYl5zdKsw2
— David Alandete (@alandete) April 26, 2026
What I'm about to say might sound controversial, but I want to make clear that it's just my opinion, and it's a generalized statement where there would obviously be exceptions to what I believe is the rule.
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I feel like in these types of situations, a woman's first instinct, while protective, is also to extricate herself and her family/friends from the situation as quickly and safely as possible and not return to the fray, and in some cases, that has or will involve heroism on her part.
The man has a similar instinct, but his doesn't always involve extricating himself completely from the situation. Simply put, the man wants to do his part to neutralize or eliminate the threat, or assist the people who can. We saw this Saturday night with Hegseth's game face and many others in the crowd:
Head on a swivel, scanning for threats. @SecWar
— Grampi (@reaccionapr) April 26, 2026
You can tell he’s furious. pic.twitter.com/YKDumG8xPZ
One unmentioned thing I liked seeing in the initial WHCA chaos—all across the room, you could tell who the vets, fmr. law enforcement, and fmr. contractors were.
— Tony Kinnett (@TheTonus) April 26, 2026
Same visual sweep, same pose. Looking for those trying to appear casual.
Some things never change.
"Some things never change." May that always be the case with these brave men. God bless them.
