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President Donald Trump posted a message on Truth Social this Sunday linking the armed attack that occurred the night before during the Annual Correspondents' Dinner to the urgent need to expedite the construction of the event hall on the White House grounds and demands the immediate dismissal of the lawsuit that hinders the work.
The incident occurred on Saturday night at the Washington Hilton, where Cole Allen, a 31-year-old teacher from Torrance, California, attacked the security checkpoint of the dinner at 8:36 p.m. armed with a shotgun, a handgun, and several knives, firing between five and eight shots before being subdued in the lobby by Secret Service agents.
Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, and Vice President JD Vance were evacuated unharmed from the event, which was attended by approximately 2,600 people.
A Secret Service agent was injured by a bullet that was stopped by his bulletproof vest, and a full recovery is expected. There were no fatalities among those present.
In his publication this Sunday, Trump was emphatic: "What happened last night is exactly the reason why our great military, the Secret Service, law enforcement, and, for various reasons, all the presidents of the last 150 years have been DEMANDING the construction of a large, safe, and secure events hall ON THE GROUNDS OF THE WHITE HOUSE."
The president argued that the incident would not have occurred had the event taken place in the new hall, which is currently under construction: "This event never would have happened with the top-secret military hall being built in the White House. It can't be built quickly enough!"
Trump emphasized that the venue will have "all the highest level security features," will not have rooms above occupied by unverified individuals, and will be located within the perimeter of "the safest building in the world, the White House."
The president also attacked the lawsuit that has attempted to halt the construction, calling it "ridiculous" and filed by "a woman walking her dog" who "lacks standing to file such a lawsuit." He demanded that it be dismissed "immediately."
The lawsuit was filed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which alleges violations of historic preservation laws and environmental policy due to the partial demolition of the historic East Wing of the White House, built in 1902.
The federal judge Richard Leon had issued a preliminary order blocking construction on the site, although a federal appeals court temporarily allowed the work to continue on April 12.
The new hall will have 90,000 square feet—about 8,300 square meters—and capacity for between 650 and 1,000 people. Trump revealed in March that the project also includes an underground military complex with armored glass and anti-drone ceilings, funded according to the president with private donations from companies like Apple, Amazon, Lockheed Martin, and Coinbase, without public funds.
The project's budget has escalated from the initial 100 to 200 million dollars to the current 400 million. The works began on October 20, 2025 with the partial demolition of the East Wing.
Trump concluded his message with a statement about the progress of the works: "Nothing should interfere with its construction, which is on budget and substantially ahead of schedule."
The Deputy Director of the Secret Service, Matthew Quinn, called the attacker "cowardly" and emphasized that he was apprehended at the first contact, while the deputy prosecutor announced impending charges against Cole Allen.
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