US President Donald Trump answers questions during a press briefing in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, shortly after the shooting at the White House correspondents’ dinner on April 25, 2026.
Mandel Ngan | AFP | getty images
President Donald Trump on Sunday reiterated his call for construction to continue on the planned White House ballroom.
Trump and members of his Cabinet were evacuated from the White House correspondents’ dinner at the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, DC, on Saturday night after attendees heard multiple gunshots. The shooter was “arrested” by U.S. Secret Service agents, Trump said after the incident.
“What happened last night is the same reason why our great military, the Secret Service, law enforcement and, for different reasons, every president for the last 150 years, are demanding that a large, safe and secure ballroom be built on the White House grounds.” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “This event would never have happened with the Military Top Secret Ballroom currently under construction at the White House. It couldn’t be built that fast!”
Trump was invited as the honoree to the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner, a privately held event. If a ballroom were built on the White House grounds, it would likely not host private events.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation in the United States is suing the Trump administration to stop construction of a planned $400 million, 90,000-square-foot ballroom on the site of the former East Wing of the White House, which was demolished to make room for the project.
For now, the courts have given permission for construction on the ballroom to continue.
On April 16, a federal judge issued a revised order that largely barred the administration from continuing construction above ground. Underground construction, including work related to national security facilities, was allowed to continue, as well as above-ground work that is “strictly necessary to cover, secure, and protect such national security facilities.” in order to do.
The next day, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit granted a temporary stay of the order and scheduled a hearing for June 5 to review the case.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation argues that Trump overstepped his authority by pursuing the project without congressional approval.
In his Sunday post, the president said the lawsuit should be dropped and reiterated his stance that construction of the ballroom is a matter of national security.
“Nothing should be allowed to interfere with its construction, which is on budget and well ahead of schedule!!!” Trump wrote.
