Very on brand, you have to say. Donald Trump has escaped unharmed after a gunman entered the White House Correspondents Dinner on Sunday and opened fire. However, some may be surprised by his primary concern in the wake of the chaos.
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A lot has happened overnight…
The suspect has been apprehended and remains in custody, and no fatalities have yet been reported. The 31-year-old was quickly neutralised by Secret Service agents, who also rushed both President Trump and Vice President JD Vance to safety when the shots rang out.
In 2024, Trump famously survived an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, when a shot from a sniper rival clipped his ear during a campaign speech. He was escorted out of the venue, and raised his fist to rally the remaining crowd.
However, the bailout was much less dramatic on this occasion. The shooter didn’t make it anywhere near the front table where the president and his acolytes were sitting. Instead, their shuffle to safety was then swiftly followed by… a press conference.
Moments after shooting scare, Donald Trump makes demand for his ballroom
Strange as that may be, it couldn’t hold a candle to what Donald Trump listed as his main takeaway from the whole affair. Speaking to the media, he presented his case for continuing to build his ballroom – and he was ably supported by his backers onlinec.
“We need the ballroom” – Donald Trump
The attempted construction of the ballroom, which involves a significant redevelopment of the White House building itself, has been plagued by legal issues – with one judge issuing an order for Trump to halt the works. However, the president does not want to be denied…
“We looked at all the conditions that took place tonight. This is not a particularly secure building. I didn’t want to say this, but this is why we need to have all the attributes of [the ballroom] at The White House. We need the ballroom.”
“That’s why the Secret Service are demanding it. It’s a larger room. It has bulletproof glass. The authorities have wanted a ballroom for 150 years for lots of different reasons. Today’s a little bit different though, we need levels of security we’ve never needed before.” | Donald Trump