A shooting at the Washington Hilton during the White House Correspondents' Association dinner on Saturday renewed Republican support for President Donald Trump’s proposed $400 million White House ballroom and subterranean bunker. No Trump administration officials were injured, but Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday they may have been the intended targets. [1]
Trump used Truth Social on Sunday morning to argue the attack would not have happened if the ballroom were already built at the White House. He said, “This event would never have happened with the Militarily Top Secret Ballroom currently under construction at the White House,” and added that the project had “every highest level security feature” and was “substantially ahead of schedule.” [1]
The proposal would significantly alter the White House complex and has drawn sharp criticism from some Democrats and preservationists. They have called it a vanity project backed by secretive donors looking to win favor with the president. [1]
The gunfire came after a suspect armed with a shotgun fired several rounds at the hotel while trying to breach security at the dinner on 2026-04-25, according to the facts supplied. Trump renewed his push for the ballroom and underground bunker at a news conference the next day, and then repeated his support online Sunday morning. [1]
Trump said the project was on budget and substantially ahead of schedule, and he urged that nothing interfere with its construction. [1]