Politics

Trump Uses Shooting to Make Jaw-Dropping Push for Tacky Ballroom

BALLROOM BLITZ

A security scare became fresh ammunition for Trump’s long-troubled ballroom push.

Fresh off being evacuated from the Washington Hilton after a shooting scare, President Donald Trump used a White House briefing to rally support for his long-delayed ballroom project.

After initially thanking the Secret Service and law enforcement for their life-saving actions, Trump pivoted to argue that the venue wasn’t “secure” enough and pressed to fast-track his tacky $400 million White House ballroom.

US President Donald Trump speaks flanked by FBI Director Kash Patel during a press briefing in the Brady Briefing Room at the White House
President Donald Trump speaks flanked by FBI Director Kash Patel following a shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images

“We looked at all of the conditions that took place tonight, and I will say, you know, it’s not a particularly secure building,” Trump told reporters.

“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 gunproof, it’s bulletproof glass,” he added.

“We need the ballroom. That’s why Secret Service, that’s why the military have demanded it. They’ve wanted the ballroom for 150 years for lots of different reasons, but today’s a little bit different because today we need levels of security that probably nobody’s ever seen before.”

This is a breaking story that will be updated.