United States President Donald Trump demanded this Sunday the immediate completion of the controversial ballroom he is promoting at the White House, after having been evacuated the previous night during the annual dinner of the Correspondents' Association, marked by the irruption of an armed man in the vicinity of the event.
In a message disseminated on his social network, Truth Social, Trump maintained that what happened reinforces the need to have a maximum security space within the presidential complex. According to what he stated, both the Secret Service and military commanders and security forces had been demanding a facility of these characteristics for some time.
"Last night's incident demonstrates exactly why a large secure hall is needed within the White House grounds," defended the president, who directly linked the thwarted attack to the urgency of completing the project.
A project blocked by the courts
The new building, budgeted at around 400 million dollars, remains partially paralyzed by judicial means. The works were suspended after a resolution by federal judge Richard Leon, who ordered a temporary halt to the project, considering that it did not have all the necessary authorizations from Congress.
The lawsuit was filed by a conservationist group opposed to the demolition of the historic East Wing, torn down in October 2025 to make way for new construction.
Trump harshly criticized that judicial procedure and diminished the legitimacy of the complainants. In his opinion, the opposition to the project responds to political and bureaucratic interests that put presidential security at risk.
A "top military secret" enclosure
The president described the future hall as a structure of about 8,000 square meters, designed with extreme protection standards. As he explained, the enclosure would not have upper floors or vulnerable areas from which third parties could access or hide.
Trump used that argument to contrast it with the Saturday night scenario, when the event was held at the Washington Hilton Hotel, a space outside the presidential perimeter where the alleged attacker was staying.
The suspect, identified by authorities as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, was subdued by agents after opening fire and wounding a Secret Service member in the bulletproof vest. The incident forced the rapid evacuation of Trump, the first lady Melania Trump, and Vice President JD Vance.
Security and political message
Trump assured that an act of this type "would never have happened" in the new hall projected for the White House and stated that the works are advancing below the planned budget and faster than initially estimated, despite the judicial blockade.
The episode also reopens the debate on presidential security in the United States, especially after several attempted attacks suffered by Trump in recent years. It also brings back to the center the president's strategy of physically transforming the White House with large architectural projects that have, at the same time, become political symbols.