President Donald Trump’s Justice Department is using the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner to pressure preservationists to drop their lawsuit over the planned $400 million ballroom on the site of the former East Wing of the White House.
“It’s time to build the ballroom,” acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday on X, posting a letter in which Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate gave the National Trust for Historic Preservation—which has sued to block construction—until 9 a.m. Monday to dismiss its lawsuit.
If the group does not comply, Shumate wrote, the government would ask a court to do so “in light of last night’s extraordinary events,” calling the Washington Hilton—”the site of Saturday’s gala—”demonstrably unsafe” for events with the president “because its size presents extraordinary security challenges for the Secret Service.”
The White House ballroom, Shumate wrote, “will ensure the safety and security of the President for decades to come and prevent future assassination attempts on the President at the Washington Hilton.”
Elliot Carter, spokesperson for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, said Sunday the group would review the letter with legal counsel.
The preservation group sued in December, a week after the White House finished demolishing the East Wing to make way for a ballroom that Trump said would fit 999 people. Trump says the project is funded by private donations, although public money is paying for bunker construction and security upgrades.
A crowd of 2,300 attended Saturday night’s event at the Hilton, one of the few rooms in Washington large enough for the event. The dinner is not a White House event—it is run by the White House Correspondents’ Association, a nonprofit organization of journalists from media outlets covering the president.
Republicans Push for White House Ballroom
For months, Trump has mentioned the ballroom project at nearly every opportunity, often discussing the lawsuit or his desire to construct the space during events on various topics. Addressing reporters at a Saturday night news conference, Trump called for tougher security measures and pointed to the incident as reason his ballroom is needed.
In the wake of the shooting, Trump, Blanche, and administration supporters have used the opportunity to push for the project across social media and news programs. Republican Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan said he agreed with Trump “100%” on the project, noting it “would be much safer location for these type of events.”
Sunday morning on X, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said he agreed the White House ballroom “is a national security necessity” that would give the Secret Service “immense control over the security environment of future events with a very hardened facility.”
Even some Democrats agreed. Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, who attended Saturday’s dinner, said on X the proposed White House space should be used “for events exactly like these.” On CNN later Sunday, Fetterman said attendees and Americans were in a “vulnerable” position during Saturday’s event, in part because many in the presidential line of succession were present and could have been harmed.
Fetterman responded, “I certainly hope so” when asked if the incident would spark more support for the White House project.
Security Breaches at the White House
In the century-plus since its grounds were largely closed to the public, numerous events demonstrate the White House complex is not impervious to intrusion.
Documented incidents include people scaling security barriers around the White House. In 2014, a disturbed Army veteran carrying a knife jumped the fence and raced into the White House, making his way into the East Room before heading down a hallway on the State Floor.
A Homeland Security Department review determined that lack of training, poor staffing decisions, and communication problems contributed to the failure that led to the Secret Service director’s resignation.
In 1994, a pilot died when he crashed a small stolen plane on the South Lawn, hitting a tree and a first-floor corner of the building. In 2009, uninvited guests Tareq and Michaele Salahi crashed a state dinner, passing through security checkpoints and meeting President Barack Obama.
White House Ballroom Project Status
Work is ongoing, though recent hiccups have arisen. Trump tore down the East Wing last fall to build the ballroom. In its lawsuit, the National Trust for Historic Preservation argued Trump overstepped his authority by moving forward without first getting approval from key federal agencies and Congress.
Earlier this month, a federal appeals court allowed Trump to continue construction of the $400 million project, ruling a day after a lower court judge continued to block above-ground construction on the site and scheduling a June 5 hearing. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon’s ruling blocked above-ground construction of the 90,000-square-foot ballroom addition, while allowing below-ground work on a bunker and other “national security facilities” to continue.
On Fox News Channel on Sunday, Trump forecast that, by the end of his current term, his project would be complete.
“In the year ’28 you’re going to have something, you’re going to have a ballroom, the top of the line, security,” Trump said. “You’re not going to have problems.”