As a shooting occurred during the annual White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) dinner attended by U.S. President Donald Trump, voices are gaining strength arguing for the need to build a deluxe White House banquet hall that had been halted by a court.
President Trump is pushing a project to spend about $400 million (about 590 billion won) to build a large 8,000-square-meter banquet hall at the White House that can accommodate about 1,000 people. To that end, demolition has already begun on the historically significant East Wing of the White House.
However, on the 31st of last month (local time), a U.S. court accepted an injunction request from the National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP) to halt the construction of the banquet hall proceeding without congressional consent, saying, "The U.S. president is the steward, not the owner, of the White House for future presidential families." The appeals court, however, has allowed work to continue until a hearing in June.
According to major foreign media, at a press conference at the White House immediately after the shooting on the 25th, President Trump said, "This is exactly why we need to have all the elements we are planning at the White House," adding, "The White House is actually a larger space and much safer." He then listed the security features of the banquet hall under construction, such as bulletproof glass and anti-drone facilities.
On the 26th, the following day, Trump also said on Truth Social, "What happened last night shows why our great military, the Secret Service, law enforcement, and for different reasons every president over the past 150 years have asked for a large, safe, and highly secure banquet hall on the White House grounds," adding, "If there had been a banquet hall now under construction at the White House with top-tier military-grade security, this would never have happened."
After the shooting, Trump's close allies also continued to emphasize the need to build the White House banquet hall. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry wrote on X, a social media (SNS) platform, "Regrettably, the first lady and I had to shelter with the president and all cabinet members in the White House correspondents' dinner hall," arguing, "This incident is another reason we need to build a presidential-only banquet hall for President Trump."
Florida state Rep. Randy Fine, a Republican, likewise posted on X, "We must make sure no one ever again complains about the White House banquet hall." Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham told NBC News, "President Trump said the banquet hall must be secured, not for himself, but for future presidents," adding that he would introduce a bill to approve the construction of the hall and fund its building.
There were also voices of support from the opposition. Sen. John Fetterman, a moderate Democrat from Pennsylvania, referencing the hotel where the shooting occurred, said, "That venue was not built to accommodate an event attended by officials in the U.S. government's line of succession," arguing, "After seeing last night's situation, let's stop 'Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS)' and build a White House banquet hall for precisely this kind of event."
The Trump administration has already begun moving again on the banquet hall construction. According to Fox News, the U.S. Department of Justice sent a letter to the attorney for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which filed the lawsuit to halt the work, demanding that the suit be withdrawn. Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate referenced the previous day's assassination attempt at the Washington, D.C., Hilton hotel in the letter, noting, "Holding events attended by the president at off-site facilities poses a significant security risk."
Local media raised questions about these claims. The New York Times (NYT) said, "The organized attempt to link the security issues of the dinner to the banquet hall construction project largely overlooks the nature of this annually held dinner and the circumstances of what occurred on Saturday night," adding, "The WHCA, the dinner's host, is an independent organization made up of White House correspondents, and even if there were a banquet hall, it is unclear whether it would agree to hold the event at the White House due to concerns over press independence."
The Washington Post (WP) likewise pointed out, "Even if a new banquet hall is built, it is entirely uncertain whether future White House correspondents' dinners would be held there," adding, "This dinner is a private event, not a government event." NBC News reported, "In a highly polarized political environment, President Trump and future presidents may have to balance between the need for personal protection and movement and contact with the general public," adding, "A banquet hall can be safe and highly secure, but the claim that it is absolutely necessary for an incumbent president's survival is unconvincing."