Trump, allies use dinner shooting to press case for White House ballroom

On 26 April 2026, a shooting incident occurred at the White House Correspondents' dinner in Washington, and Trump was rushed away and was safe, according to NPR and Kyodo News. Trump released a photo of the shooter pinned to the ground and said the attacker had 'a lot of hatred in his heart'. He praised the press and called for unity, and said the shooting was not connected with the Iran war and would not 'deter' him from it.

Trump said the shooting proves the need for his White House ballroom and would 'never have happened' there, and that a hotel setting is 'tough' to protect. The Associated Press reported that the Justice Department cited the shooting to press preservationists to drop their suit against the ballroom.