Donald Trump moved swiftly to link a weekend shooting near the White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington to his controversial $400 million White House ballroom project, arguing the incident underscored the need for a high-security venue inside the presidential complex as legal disputes over the plan continue.
Gunfire erupted on 25 April at the Washington Hilton, where senior political figures, journalists and administration officials had gathered for the annual event. While no top officials were injured, the breach triggered evacuations and intensified concerns about the security of large, high-profile gatherings held outside the White House perimeter.
Within hours, Trump used the episode to reinforce his long-standing argument for constructing a fortified ballroom on White House grounds. Writing on Truth Social, he said: "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."
He went further, asserting that the incident "would never have happened with the Militarily Top Secret Ballroom currently under construction at the White House," framing the project as a direct response to security vulnerabilities exposed by the attack.
The proposal centers on a 90,000-square-foot structure intended to host major state events within a secured perimeter. Trump emphasized that the design would incorporate "every highest level security feature there is," adding that it would eliminate risks associated with external venues, including unsecured access points.
The ballroom plan, however, has been entangled in a legal battle with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which argues the demolition of the East Wing and replacement construction require congressional approval under federal preservation laws.
Earlier this month, U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon ruled against the administration, stating: "National security is not a blank check to proceed with otherwise unlawful activity." The decision temporarily halted construction, though a federal appeals court has since allowed work to resume while the case is reviewed.
Trump criticized the lawsuit in his post, calling it "The ridiculous Ballroom lawsuit, brought by a woman walking her dog, who has absolutely No Standing to bring such a suit," and urged that it "must be dropped, immediately."
The shooting has reshaped the political dynamics surrounding the project, drawing support from some unexpected quarters. Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry described the incident as "yet another reason that President @realDonaldTrump's ballroom should be built," linking the security scare directly to the administration's construction agenda.
John Fetterman echoed the argument from a different political vantage point, writing that the Washington Hilton "wasn't built to accommodate an event with the line of succession for the U.S. government," and urging critics to "drop the TDS [Trump Derangement Syndrome] and build the White House ballroom for events exactly like these."
