Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) is breaking with party lines to push for a new White House ballroom, arguing that last weekend's assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner proves the need for a more secure venue. In a post on X Sunday, Fetterman called on fellow Democrats to “drop the TDS” and support construction of the ballroom, a project championed by President Donald Trump that has sparked a legal battle with preservationists.
The shooting occurred Saturday night at the Washington Hilton, where a 31-year-old gunman, Cole Thomas Allen, allegedly tried to storm the dinner after checking into the hotel. Secret Service officers exchanged fire with Allen, who was apprehended. The incident, which targeted Trump and Vice President JD Vance, has reignited debate over the security of the historic venue.
“We were there front and center. That venue wasn’t built to accommodate an event with the line of succession for the U.S. government,” Fetterman wrote, linking to a Mediate article by Joe DePaolo that detailed how reporters could bypass security with just a photo of an invitation.
Trump, speaking at a press conference after the shooting, highlighted the security vulnerabilities. “I didn’t want to say this, but this is why we have to have all of the attributes of what we’re planning at the White House. It’s actually a larger room, and it’s much more secure. It’s got—it’s drone-proof. It’s bulletproof glass. We need the ballroom,” Trump said.
The proposed 90,000-square-foot ballroom has faced fierce opposition from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which sued to block construction, arguing it would damage the White House's historical symmetry. A federal judge issued an injunction in March, but a federal appeals court later granted an administrative stay allowing work to proceed until early June. The judge ruled that Congress would need to authorize the project for it to continue.
In a dramatic turn, the Department of Justice on Sunday urged the preservation group to drop its lawsuit, citing the “extraordinary events” of the assassination attempt. The DOJ’s intervention comes as the suspect, Allen, is set to appear in court Monday. The suspect faces federal charges after allegedly running past magnetometers on the Hilton's terrace level.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), third in line for the presidency, was also present at the dinner. The suspect, who did not have an invitation, mocked the hotel's security in a manifesto shared with family, writing, “The security at the event is all outside, focused on protestors and current arrivals, because apparently no one thought about what happens if someone checks in the day before.”
Fetterman’s call for bipartisan support has drawn attention, as he urged colleagues to set aside political differences. The DOJ is now pressuring the preservation group to drop the lawsuit, while Trump has ordered a security review of the Secret Service's response. The incident has echoes of the 1981 assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan, which also occurred at the Washington Hilton, as noted in historical comparisons.
Critics of the ballroom project argue it is a costly vanity initiative, but supporters say the shooting underscores the need for a secure venue capable of hosting large events with the nation's top leaders. The legal battle continues, with the appeals court's stay allowing construction to proceed pending further rulings.
