Trump Uses Correspondents Dinner Shooting to Push for Ballroom Construction
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Following the shooting that took place outside the ballroom of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner at the Washington Hilton on Saturday evening, President Donald Trump, the Department of Justice (DOJ), and several allies of the president renewed calls to build an extravagant ballroom at the White House, claiming the shooting demonstrated a need for greater security at the event.
However, it’s unlikely that the proposed White House ballroom would be used in future correspondents’ dinners, as the White House Correspondents’ Association is an independent organization, hosting its events outside of the White House to demonstrate its separation from the administration.
The shooting on Saturday occurred on the floor above the event, near the security checkpoint of the dinner, a significant distance from where Trump and other dignitaries were settling in to begin the event. The shooting has raised questions about the security of the event, including whether the Washington Hilton is safe to continue hosting the dinners, and whether the Secret Service had done an adequate job securing the perimeter.
“This event would never have happened with the Militarily Top Secret Ballroom currently under construction at the White House,” Trump claimed in a Truth Social post on Sunday morning. “It cannot be built fast enough!”
“This event is yet another........
