WASHINGTON — President Trump and his allies insisted Saturday’s shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner proves the need for his planned über-secure White House ballroom.
Since 1968, the celebrated dinner has been held at the Washington Hilton, a hotel complex about a mile and a half north of the White House. But due to the fact that it’s a hotel, suspect Cole Thomas Allen was allegedly able to book a stay and sneak weapons there.
That’s why Trump and his allies believe a secure ballroom facility is needed at the White House.
“What happened last night is exactly the reason that our great Military, Secret Service, Law Enforcement and, for different reasons, every President for the last 150 years, have been DEMANDING that a large, safe, and secure Ballroom be built ON THE GROUNDS OF THE WHITE HOUSE,” President Trump posted on Truth Social.
“This event would never have happened with the Militarily Top Secret Ballroom currently under construction at the White House. It cannot be built fast enough!”
Technically, the dinner is hosted by the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA), which represents reporters who cover the administration. It’s up to the WHCA to decide where it’s held.
Trump, 79, who was famously ridiculed by President Barack Obama when he attended the WHCA’s dinner in 2011, had skipped the event every year of his presidency except this one.
But he has indicated that a future White House ballroom could be used to accommodate the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in the future.
Even some Dems agreed.
“We were there front and center. That venue wasn’t built to accommodate an event with the line of succession for the U.S. government,” Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) posted on X.
“After witnessing last night, drop the TDS [Trump Derangement Syndrome] and build the White House ballroom for events exactly like these.”
A torrent of MAGA-aligned influencers and lawmakers echoed that call to complete the White House ballroom project, something Trump has sought since the Obama era.
“Tonight is one more reason for the new White House Trump Ballroom…” Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, said.
“We’d better never again hear a peep from anyone complaining about a White House ballroom,” Rep. Randy Fine (R-Fla.) wrote on X.
Trump’s bid to construct a sprawling, 90,000 square-foot ballroom — larger than the actual White House itself — has been bogged down by litigation, particularly from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which has raised process concerns with how the president has pursued it.
Last month, US District Judge Richard Leon blocked Trump from carrying on with the project unless Congress gives him the go-ahead. Shortly after that, an appeals court allowed Trump to proceed for now until a hearing in June.
In addition to the ballroom construction, Trump has confirmed that his administration is working on a sophisticated military project on that site.
The planned ballroom sits above the White House’s doomsday bunker, which is built to withstand a nuclear bomb. It has been widely understood that Trump is upgrading that facility.
Trump heaped praise on the Secret Service and other law enforcement who secured the Washington Hilton. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche also stressed that security did its job.
“To the contrary, it was a massive security success story,” Blanche insisted on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday. “This suspect barely breached the perimeter.”
Due to the legal snags Trump has faced in court, some lawmakers such as Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-Mo.) and Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Col.) announced plans to introduce legislation giving the project the go-ahead.
“It is an embarrassment to the strongest nation on earth that we cannot host gatherings in our nation’s capital, including ones attended by our President, without the threat of violence and attempted assassinations,” Sheehy posted on X.
“A President of any party should be able to host events in a secure area without attendees worrying about their safety.”
