Shots fired at gala dinner Trump: "This wouldn't have happened in the new ballroom"
It is a controversial project in a prominent location: a huge ballroom is to be built right next to the White House. Trump is now using the shots fired in Washington as an argument for his project.
26.04.2026, 19:43
26.04.2026, 19:53
dpa
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- Donald Trump sees the shots fired at a gala dinner in Washington as proof of the need for a new ballroom in the White House.
- An armed man had broken through a security gate, whereupon shots were fired and the president was taken to safety.
- Despite criticism and legal disputes, Trump continues to push ahead with the construction and emphasizes its allegedly high security standards.
US President Donald Trump sees the shots fired at a gala dinner with him in Washington as further confirmation of the controversial construction of a ballroom at the White House. "With the top-secret military ballroom currently under construction at the White House, this event would never have happened," Trump said. "It can't be finished fast enough!"
At the dinner with the capital's press in a hotel in Washington on Saturday evening (local time), a man stormed through a security gate and was overpowered by security forces. Shots were fired and the President was taken to safety by his bodyguards.
What happened there was exactly the reason why every president of the past 150 years has insisted on building such a ballroom, Trump claimed. The Republican had the historic East Wing of the White House demolished and wants to have a huge ballroom built instead. Citizens and preservationists railed against the project.
Court approves new building after unauthorized demolition
Following a lawsuit by preservationists, a judge temporarily halted the construction a few weeks ago. Even then, Trump said that the hall would also serve the president's security. Following a decision by an appeals court in mid-April, construction work can continue for the time being while the legal dispute continues.
On Sunday, Trump went on to write: "It's beautiful, but it has the highest security standards in the world, and beyond that, there are no rooms above it that unsecured people could wander into, and it's behind the gates of the most secure building in the world, the White House."
