A video released from the White House shows what President Barack Obama was doing during the time before and after the raid that killed September 11 mastermind Osama Bin Laden on May 2, 2011.
The never-before-seen footage via CNN shows Obama prepping for the annual White House Correspondents Dinner. The final approval for the operation in Abbotabad, Pakistan, was the day before the event, on April 29, 2011. The president gave no signs of what was coming and showed his cool during the dinner, in which he infamously roasted now presidential candidate Donald Trump.
The video shows the president after Bin Laden was killed, as the White House prepared to address the nation. Obama is seen meeting with his advisers before his speech. Some staff members talking with the president are seen wearing casual clothing, like polo shirts and U.S. soccer sweaters, since they were called in on such short notice.
The footage shows Obama in front of cameras addressing the nation, while officials, including then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, watch him tell Americans that Bin Laden was killed in an operation led by U.S. Special Forces at a compound in Pakistan.
“Mister President, excellent,” Clinton is heard telling the president after his speech, while other advisers congratulated him as well.
The video ends by showing crowds of people in front of the White House cheering after hearing the news.
The footage was released by the White House 5 years after the raid.
