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Within a few hours after the test shooting at the White House Correspondents’ dinner on Saturday, President Trump announced that the incident showed the need to build a hall in the White House without delay. “We need a theater,” he told reporters at a press conference. Yesterday morning, he emphasized the point on Social Truth, to add“Nothing should be allowed to interfere (sic) its construction, which is on budget and significantly ahead of schedule!!!”
Many partners jumped to agree. Commentator Meghan McCain he wrote on X, “I don’t want to hear one more criticism of Trump’s new White House ballroom.” Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, a prominent Democrat, gave an example of “Trump Derangement Syndrome” to say“After witnessing last night, drop TDS and build a White House lobby for events like this.” And Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche deleted the letter to the plaintiff’s attorney in the federal lawsuit challenging the construction, saying the Justice Department would drop the case if it wasn’t dismissed by 9 a.m. this morning. (It wasn’t.)
None of this makes any sense. The ballroom at the White House is not the solution to the chaos at an outside event organized by the press. Furthermore, if a theater is worth building, it should be built the right way—and managers should have no problem doing that. If anything, the safe outcome of Saturday’s riots shows why adherence to process and order is so important in government.
Trump has long been interested in a White House ballroom—Obama adviser David Axelrod recounts gently resisting Trump’s request to build one in 2010—but last summer, he abruptly demolished the White House’s existing East Wing, after. he promised not “intruding on the existing building.” He then began the construction of a large ballroom, funded by private donations. The National Trust for Historic Preservation sued, saying that Trump failed to submit proper plans and environmental assessments, and that he was usurping Congress’ authority over White House grounds and federal property. (Actually, a New York Times analysis found architectural defects such as stairs that lead nowhere.) So far, to Trump’s surprise, the plaintiff has won some victories; a federal judge repeatedly reprimanded and suspended state attorneys. Earlier this month, however, the appeals court allowed the construction continue for now.
The idea that the White House would have prevented such a horrific event does not add up. Saturday’s dinner was hosted by the White House Correspondents’ Association, an independent group that represents journalists who cover the presidency, not the White House—and Trump was a guest, not a host. With the annual dinner held at the White House itself it will be a big—ok, ok big– embarrassment and conflict of interest. And that would be true even during a normal presidency, to say nothing of the one that has an order attack the freedom of the pressthey wanted disempower the WHCAand expel some of its members. (As another example, Trump beaten (on CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell yesterday by asking predictable and routine questions about the shooting, showing that the danger shared Saturday did not create a permanent situation between the president and the press.)
A ballroom might not be the worst idea, but if it is, building it doesn’t require cutting any corners. “We have always accepted the use of the large meeting space at the White House,” Carol Quillen, president and CEO of the National Trust, said in a statement today. “Building it legally requires Congressional approval, which the Administration can seek at any time.” If the case is good, the administration should have an easier time getting the necessary approvals and convincing Congress not only to sign off on the idea but to allocate funding for it — especially with Republicans who control both houses. It should not require the destruction of secrets and limited transparency. And if the government’s lawsuit against the construction is as “frivolous” as Blanche claims, then the Justice Department should have an easy time defeating it in court.
Everyone loves to hate red tape, but the truth is that the process required by government can be invaluable. One reason that an assassination attempt against Trump in 2024 came within millimeters of success is that the Secret Service. failed to follow its best practices. In contrast, like my colleague Shane Harris reportSaturday’s response was more effective because law enforcement agencies seem to be doing their best.
At the same time that Trump was holding up the shooting as the reason for building the venue, online influencers were spreading conspiracy theories about the incident being “arranged.” I saw social media posts comparing it to the 1933 Reichstag fire, which the Nazi government used to justify its consolidation of power and which some people believe was an inside job; they warned that Trump would use the shooting to suppress political opponents and cultivate defense lines. A simpler and more plausible explanation for Saturday’s shooting is available than a false flag: Trump is a deeply despised president; political divisions and tensions they are very high; and getting a gun is very easy in the United States.
If the only abuse of executive power emerges from now on is the administration wanting to be allowed to start construction, that would be good news for civil liberties and for the country in general, but that also does not mean that Trump should get what he wants. If a theater is a must, the nation deserves a theater that is carefully planned and executed rather than a hastily designed colossus with empty staircases.
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Here are four new stories from Atlantic:
Today’s news
- Authorities say that Cole Thomas Allen, a 31-year-old from California, was allegedly targeting Trump administration officials when he opened fire at the hotel where the White House Correspondents’ Dinner was hosted Saturday, according to a message he sent to family members shortly before the attack. He was charged today with trying to kill President Trump.
- Iran is committed to ending attacks in the Strait of Hormuz if the United States ends the blockade of Iranian ports, halts the nuclear talks, and ends the war altogether, according to officials. Iran’s Foreign Minister met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Trump said in an interview yesterday that he is not planning to send US representatives to Pakistan for peace talks but that Iran “can come to us or can call us” if the country wants the talks to continue.
- King Charles III and Queen Camilla arrived in Washington today for a four-day visit to the United States amid tensions between the Trump administration and Britain on the war with Iran. Charles is set to meet privately with Trump at the White House tomorrow.
Dispatches
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Evening Read
What Happens If Trump Seizes AI Companies
By Matteo Wong and Lila Shroff
AI companies are beginning to entertain the possibility that they may cease to exist. This idea was, until recently, mostly theoretical: A few years ago, a former OpenAI employee named Leopold Aschenbrenner wrote a long memo speculating that the US government might soon take control of the industry. By 2026 or 2027, Aschenbrenner wrote, “an open question” will be circling the Pentagon and Congress: Do we need a government-led program for general artificial intelligence? AGI The Manhattan Project? He predicted that Washington would decide to enter into such an effort.
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Rafaela Jinich contributed to this magazine.
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