Trump’s answer to shooting at Washington gala: Build the ballroom
“It’s drone-proof, it’s bulletproof glass. We need the ballroom,” Trump said. “That’s why [the] Secret Service, that’s why the military are demanding it.”
President Donald Trump’s immediate response to an armed gunman attempting to breach one of Washington’s most widely attended annual gatherings: Build the White House ballroom.
Two hours after the shooting, Trump, still dressed in his tuxedo and standing alongside multiple members of his Cabinet in the White House press briefing room, said his plans for the 90,000-square-foot ballroom, which is currently tied up in litigation, must move forward.
“It’s drone-proof, it’s bulletproof glass. We need the ballroom,” Trump said. “That’s why [the] Secret Service, that’s why the military are demanding it.”
Presidents have safely attended dinners, fundraisers and prayer breakfasts at the Washington Hilton for six decades, dating back to President Lyndon B. Johnson. Even after being shot while exiting the hotel in 1981, President Ronald Reagan returned to the hotel months later.
But according to Trump, building his ballroom is the panacea for stopping those who want to do him, or any president, harm.
But according to Trump, building his ballroom is the panacea for stopping those who want to do him, or any president, harm.
Trump repeatedly claimed in the hours after the shooting — with a preliminary sense that he was a target — that the $400 million ballroom, propped up by largely undisclosed donations, would solve all security problems. And when pressed about the performance of Secret Service, the scourge of political violence or the suspect’s ability to cross state lines with guns, the administration’s answer remained the same: The ballroom is the fix and nothing else needs to change.
“This event would never have happened with the Militarily Top Secret Ballroom currently under construction at the White House,” Trump posted on Truth Social Sunday morning.
To be clear, the White House Correspondents’ Association sponsors the dinner — and even if construction of the ballroom was complete, the annual dinner featuring the nation’s top journalists and senior administration officials would likely not be held at the White House anyway. The president is an invitee, not the host of the annual dinner. Not to mention that it would be a conflict of interest for such an event to be held at the White House.
Following the president’s lead, several top administration officials and Republicans — plus at least one Democratic senator, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania — echoed Trump’s call for the ballroom to be constructed unimpeded.
Attorney General Todd Blanche said that although the evidence is preliminary, officials believe Trump and administration officials were “likely” the targets of the suspect. In response, the Justice Department demanded the National Trust for Historic Preservation drop its lawsuit against the construction of the ballroom.
“When the White House ballroom is complete, President Trump and his successors will no longer need to venture beyond the safety of the White House perimeter to attend large gatherings at the Washington Hilton ballroom,” Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate asserted in a letter on Sunday that Blanche posted on X. Shumate added that the ballroom would “ensure the safety and security of the President for decades to come.”
Asked how the administration could deem any future event held outside of the White House secure enough for the president, the White House didn’t respond to MS NOW.
By that logic, no presidential events are secure enough to be held outside of the White House, former senior FBI and Secret Service agents argued to MS NOW.
Christopher O’Leary, a former FBI special agent and MS NOW national security analyst who worked in counterterrorism, said Trump appeared to be using Saturday’s shooting to get the White House ballroom built without addressing the real problem.
“It’s ridiculous,” O’Leary said. “It’s not a logical or reasonable solution to the trending rise in political violence. They should look at factors that are creating political violence.”
“Sitting behind the castle walls is not the solution. It’s only going to distance the government from the people, and the people are supposed to have access to their representatives,” O’Leary said, adding that no matter where the president holds an event, “there’s always going to be a vulnerability.”
Despite being the subject of two previous assassination attempts — one in Butler, Pennsylvania, at a 2024 campaign rally, at which the FBI says a bullet or a fragment of a bullet grazed his ear, and a second one at his Florida golf course months later — Trump frequently attends events outside the White House complex, including at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida and recently in Arizona and Nevada.
“Are you going to have every single event at the White House?” a former senior Secret Service agent told MS NOW. “The president needs to be out among the people, and that’s our job, to try to get them to do that.”
Nonetheless, the incident has raised concerns about the security surrounding the Saturday event and whether protocols were as heightened as they could have been for Trump’s first time in attendance at the annual press dinner. The lower-level security status assigned to the event is also being questioned, given the number of Cabinet officials present in a single room as a would-be assassin tried to breach it.
Trump himself provided inconsistent messages around the security of the Washington Hilton, on one hand claiming that the hotel is “not a particularly secure building,” but also stating that everything worked as intended. Trump said the assailant “didn’t even get close to getting to those doors” of the ballroom where he and his Cabinet dined with the press. And Blanche, his acting attorney general, called it a “narrow miss” as he argued for the ballroom’s construction but also termed it “a massive security success story.”
Commission of Fine Arts, packed with Trump allies, endorses his ballroom project
Steve Benen
After the incident, Trump said that he would attend an event within 30 days to replace the canceled dinner. He told CBS’ “60 Minutes” on Sunday evening that a similar event could be held with a “bigger perimeter.”
Blanche also quickly rejected questions about security protocol or how the suspect, Cole Thomas Allen, was able to cross state lines with guns by train.
“This isn’t about, in my mind, changing the law or making the laws more restrictive around a possession of firearms,” Blanche told CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday.
Pressed by anchor Margaret Brennan about the ability to cross state lines by train without going through airportlike security or having to declare a firearm, Blanche said, “I don’t think that’s something that we should be focused on right now in any way, shape or form.”
Rob D’Amico, a former FBI agent and MS NOW analyst, said security must be re-evaluated and urged the Secret Service to rethink its procedures, including the use of physical barriers at events like the correspondents’ dinner.
“The Secret Service needs to use this as an awakening, saying, ‘Look, we have to change the way we’re doing things,’” D’Amico said on MS NOW, calling it “problematic” that no such discussions appeared to be taking place.
Still, the message from MAGA was dramatically different. In less than 24 hours, in unison, Trump, MAGA influencers and GOP lawmakers blanketed social media with one message: The country needs Trump’s ballroom.
“Maybe the haters can begin by supporting the WH much larger and more secure ballroom,” said Trump loyalist Rudy Giuliani in a post on X. “Thank God President Trump is building a ballroom at the White House,” wrote conservative political activist Jack Posobiec on X. Libs of TikTok echoed the sentiment, posting in all caps, “This is why we need Trump’s ballroom.”
“But, you know, I would just say this is one of those other reasons why we need a ballroom at the White House,” Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind., told MS NOW after the incident.
The courts are allowing the construction of an improved and modernized underground military bunker at the White House to proceed, citing national security needs. It is the ballroom that Trump wants to build on top that is currently tied up in litigation, with construction allowed for the time being.
When the White House first announced demolition of the East Wing to make way for construction of the massive ballroom, officials did not mention security needs at all. It wasn’t until the administration faced a lawsuit that it began arguing that there were “national security” reasons for the ballroom’s construction.
“The location’s on the White House grounds, which is the most secure ground, probably in the world, including the fencing, including everything else,” Trump told FOX News on Sunday. “The president doesn’t have to leave the premises.”
Trump Signs Order Expediting Drugs for Mental Health Treatment
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Saturday that he said “directs the FDA to expedite their review of certain psychedelics already designated as breakthrough therapy drugs.” A primary objective of the order is to speed treatment for veterans.
“The executive order I’m signing, we’re actually signing the executive order today, is really a moment,” Trump said. “These treatments are currently in the advanced stages of clinical trials to ensure that they’re both safe and effective for the American patients.”
The president said the executive order would implement “historic reforms to dramatically accelerate access to new medical research and treatments based on psychedelic drugs.” Citing the elevated veteran suicide rate, the president added: “In many cases, these experimental treatments have shown life-changing potential for those suffering from severe mental illness and depression, including our cherished veterans.”
“And the nice part is we’re actually doing this early, but it has been going on. Research has been going on for quite some time. But, you know, usually with things like this, nothing ever happens, no matter how the research ends up, but we’re changing that. This order will clear away unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles, improve data sharing among the FDA and the Department of Veterans Affairs, and facilitate fast rescheduling of any psychedelic drugs that become FDA approved,” Trump continued.
The president said “in 2024, a study from Stanford University, 30 special operation veterans with traumatic brain injuries underwent — it’s called ibogaine treatment — ibogaine, remember the name,” noting that they “experienced an 80 to 90% reduction in symptoms of depression and anxiety within one month.”
“In Texas, Republican leaders have already committed $50 million to the ibogaine research. And today, the federal government is making a $50 million research investment in its own. And so that was just approved just last night,” Trump announced.
“We’re also opening a pathway for ibogaine to be administered to desperately ill patients under the right to try law,” Trump said.
“Today’s order will ensure that people suffering from debilitating symptoms might finally have a chance to reclaim their lives and lead a happier life, just lead a happier life,” he added.
Two weeks ago, Trump signed a sweeping executive order aimed at tightening federal oversight of election integrity, directing multiple agencies to expand voter eligibility verification and impose new controls on mail-in ballots.
The order, titled “Ensuring Citizenship Verification and Integrity in Federal Elections,” outlines a series of measures that would increase coordination between federal agencies and state election officials, while also establishing new procedures for how ballots are distributed and tracked through the mail system.
At the core of the directive is a requirement that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), working with the Social Security Administration (SSA), compile and transmit lists of individuals confirmed to be U.S. citizens to state election authorities. These “State Citizenship Lists” would be generated using federal databases, including immigration and Social Security records, and updated regularly ahead of federal elections.
According to the order, the lists are intended to help states verify voter eligibility, though inclusion on the list would not automatically register an individual to vote. State laws and procedures would still govern registration requirements.
The order also calls for the Department of Justice (DOJ) to prioritize investigations and potential prosecutions related to election law violations. This includes cases involving the distribution of ballots to individuals deemed ineligible to vote, as well as any actors—public or private—who may be involved in producing or sending such ballots.
In a significant expansion of federal involvement in mail voting procedures, the directive instructs the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to develop new rules governing the handling of mail-in and absentee ballots. Within 60 days, the Postmaster General is required to initiate a rulemaking process that would standardize ballot tracking and verification measures nationwide.
Under the proposed framework, all mail-in ballots would be required to use specially marked envelopes designated as official election mail. These envelopes must include unique tracking barcodes and meet specific design standards set by USPS to ensure compatibility with automated processing systems.
Trump Says He’s in No Hurry to Make Deal With Iran
The president gave an update on negotiations between Washington and Tehran in a weekend interview.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House on March 26, 2026 in Washington. This is Trump's second Cabinet meeting of 2026 and the first since the United States and Israel began attacking Iran on Feb. 28, 2026. Chip Somodevilla/Getty U.S. President Donald Trump, in an interview published on May 30, said that he is in no hurry to make a deal with Iran to end the war, saying that neither Washington nor Tehran has signed an agreement yet.
“I’d like to say I’m in a hurry because gasoline prices are going to come tumbling down, but if you’re going to be in a hurry, you’re not going to make a good deal,” Trump told Fox News. “And slowly but surely we’re getting, I think, what we want, and if we don’t get what we want, we’re going to end it a different way.”
For weeks, the United States and Iran have been working to come to an agreement that would end the war, which started in February, as the conflict remains in a ceasefire. On May 29, Trump released the terms of a deal with Tehran and said he would be making a final decision soon.
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Along with demanding that Iran not obtain a nuclear weapon, Trump said in a post on Truth Social that the Strait of Hormuz must be opened “in both directions” and that Tehran must “complete the immediate removal and/or detonation of any mines that are left.”
Since the start of the conflict, the strait has effectively remained shut down, sending oil and gas prices surging, as the strait allows for the transit of about a fifth of the world’s traded oil and natural gas. As of May 31, gas prices in the United States averaged $4.34 per gallon, according to the American Automobile Association.
A White House official told The Epoch Times on May 29 that a White House meeting in the Situation Room on Iran lasted approximately two hours. No details were provided.
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Iran on May 31 claimed that the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) shot down a U.S. military drone that entered its airspace, in comments carried by state-run Tasnim News. The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has not publicly commented on the incident.
A top Iranian official, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, also said on May 31 that Tehran’s military force is “pushing back the enemy in a great and history-making war,” referring to the United States, according to state-run media. He also claimed that the United States has retreated from the conflict while pushing a narrative of unity in the Iranian regime.
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In his May 29 post on Truth Social, Trump also wrote that mines would be removed from the strait and that ships trapped there may start to go home.
“Say HELLO to your wives, husbands, parents, and families from me, your favorite President!” he said.
On May 30, War Department Secretary Pete Hegseth said the United States would restart attacks against Iran if no deal can be reached and that the military’s ammunition stockpiles are being replenished.
“Our ability to recommence if necessary ... we are more than capable,” Hegseth told reporters in Singapore. “Our stockpiles are more than suited for that, both there and around the globe, so we’re in a very good place.”
The Pentagon head said that Trump was “patient” and that the president wants to make a “great deal” that ensures that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon.
Reuters contributed to this report.
