In the wake of an armed individual attempting to breach the White House Correspondents’ Dinner—a high-profile event attended by key government figures and media professionals—President Donald Trump swiftly leveraged the incident to advocate for his ballroom initiative.

Speaking to the press shortly after the evacuation of himself and several cabinet members, Trump criticized the security of the Washington Hilton, the traditional venue for the WHCD. He remarked, “It’s not the most secure building. This is precisely why our plans for a grand ballroom at the White House are crucial. It offers more space and enhanced security features.”

The following morning, Trump reiterated his stance on Truth Social. He stated, “Last night’s incident underscores why our Military, Secret Service, and every President over the past 150 years have insisted on a large, secure ballroom within the White House grounds. Such an event would have been impossible with the forthcoming Military Top Secret Ballroom, which is under rapid construction. It cannot be completed soon enough!”

Recently, a federal judge paused the ballroom construction, a contentious element of Trump’s second term. The project, valued at $400 million, began after Trump unexpectedly ordered the East Wing’s demolition last October. Critics view it as a means for corporate benefactors to gain favor. Major tech and crypto companies like Amazon, Apple, Coinbase, Gemini, Google, Meta, and Microsoft have notably contributed to the nonprofit fund, prompting speculation about potential influences on tech-related policies.

The halt followed a lawsuit by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, accusing Trump of bypassing Congress’s approval, a legal requirement, before dismantling the East Wing.

Trump dismissed the lawsuit as “ridiculous” in his post, urging its withdrawal. He emphasized, “Nothing should obstruct its progress, which remains on budget and ahead of schedule!”

Preliminary reports identified the alleged shooter as Cole Allen, a 31-year-old man from Torrance, CA, who had been staying at the Washington Hilton, the hotel situated above the ballroom. Although there was lighter security in the immediate entrance to the hotel where paying guests were staying, Allen was unable to breach the security perimeter set around the entrance to the subterranean ballroom.

Though his motivations are still largely unknown, law enforcement agents believe that Allen was there to target Trump and several senior administration officials in attendance, which included Vice President JD Vance, FBI director Kash Patel, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and senior advisor Stephen Miller. Hundreds of high-profile journalists were also in attendance, including members of the White House press corps.

This is the third attempt on Trump’s life, making him the US president with the most assassination attempts on his life. The first occurred during a 2024 campaign rally in Butler, PA, where a gunman shot at Trump and managed to graze his ear; the second took place later that year at Mar-a-Lago, where federal agents shot and killed a man attempting to shoot the president while he was golfing. The Washington Hilton has also played host to a previous presidential assassination attempt, when John Hinkley Jr. shot and wounded Ronald Reagain outside the hotel in 1981.