Trump’s ballroom ploy might work, security experts say

The incident at the WHCD might help Trump get his ballroom built, but it’s not the quick security fix he’s selling Staff Reporter Published May 1, 2026 6:30AM (EDT) Construction on Trump's enormous ballroom began this week. Not everyone was pleased about it. Even on Fox News. (Salwan Georges / The Washington Post / Getty Images) In the wake of the attempted shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner last Saturday, President Donald Trump and his allies immediately parlayed the shooting into a push for Trump’s pet project, the proposed $400 million White House ballroom, claiming that its construction is now an issue of national security. The question that’s been glossed over, however, is whether the ballroom would really patch up security for the president. Coles Thomas Allen, 31, is accused of attempting to rush a staircase that led down to the ballroom where the White House Correspondents’ Dinner was taking place. He was immediately tackled by Secret Service agents, with law enforcement and Allen exchanging eight shots, one of which struck an agent in the chest, who was protected by their bulletproof vest. Trump and top White House officials were promptly evacuated. Roughly two minutes into the ensuing press