Trump claims gala shooting gives urgency to White House ballroom plan

Donald Trump at the White House correspondents’ dinner in Washington DC on 25 April. Photograph: Yuri Gripas/Pool/Yuri Gripas - Pool/CNP/ShutterstockView image in fullscreenDonald Trump at the White House correspondents’ dinner in Washington DC on 25 April. Photograph: Yuri Gripas/Pool/Yuri Gripas - Pool/CNP/ShutterstockWhite House correspondents' dinner shootingTrump claims gala shooting gives urgency to White House ballroom planPresident presses case for controversial $400m project following White House correspondents’ dinner shootingEdward Helmore in New YorkSun 26 Apr 2026 12.19 EDTLast modified on Sun 26 Apr 2026 12.46 EDTSharePrefer the Guardian on GoogleThe shooting at the Washington Hilton hotel gives new urgency to the project to construct a 1,000-seat ballroom at the White House, Donald Trump claimed after the incident on Saturday night.The US president pressed the case for his controversial ballroom initiative at the press conference he held at the White House on Saturday and a social media post on Sunday, after an armed attacker was arrested as he rushed towards the Hilton’s ballroom, where Trump was attending the White House Correspondents Association’s annual dinner.The $400m construction project to build a giant event space began at the White House with the east wing being knocked down last October without Trump waiting for full legal permission to proceed. Legal challenges followed along with controversy over funding for the enormous ballroom, which is planned to be larger than the core White House itself.“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,” Trump posted on Truth Social on Sunday morning.He said that the shooting incident, which caused Trump and senior administration to be hustled out of the Hilton hotel complex, and hundreds of guests to duck for cover, “would never have happened with the Militarily Top Secret Ballroom currently under construction at the White House”.Trump pointed to existing security at the White House – “the most secure building in the world” – and “every highest level security feature there is” planned for the ballroom. “Plus, there are no rooms sitting on top for unsecured people to pour in,” he added, referring to the event taking place in a mainstream hotel.Trump’s comments were the second time in just over 12 hours that he mentioned the White House ballroom project in reference to the shooting incident.“I didn’t want to say this,” Trump said at a press briefing late Saturday after returning to the White House from the press dinner, “but this is why we have to have all of the attributes of what we’re planning at the White House. It’s actually a larger room, and it’s a much more secure. It’s got – it’s drone-proof, it’s bulletproof glass.”Trump has survived two previous assassination attempts, both during his 2024 election campaign. After the latest incident, Trump said in the White House briefing room that the scare would not impact the conduct of his life.“I like not to think about it,” he said. “I lead a pretty normal life, considering, you know, it’s a dangerous life. I think I’m, I think I handle it as well – as well as it can be handled.“To be honest with you, I’m not a basket case,” he added. But he also conceded that “it’s always shocking when something…

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