April 27, 2026 01:35 PM UTC

Look Who's Getting Their Ballroom!

• 0 Comments
• by: Colorado Pols

After a frightening incident this weekend in which an armed man with murderous intentions allegedly got way too close to President Donald Trump and the Washington, D.C. A-List at the White House Correspondent’s Association dinner on Saturday night, the one thing the MAGAverse is in universal agreement on, as the Washington Post reports…is that Trump should immediately get to build his controversial ballroom over the pit where the East Wing of the White House stood until recently:

Numerous lawmakers said they would support legislation to authorize and fund a new White House ballroom after the shooting on Saturday. Trump previously said the ballroom, estimated to cost $400 million, would be financed through private donations.

“It is an embarrassment to the strongest nation on earth that we cannot host gatherings in our nation’s capital, including ones attended by our President, without the threat of violence and attempted assassinations,” Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-Montana) posted on X, announcing he’d introduce legislation permitting the construction of the ballroom. “A President of any party should be able to host events in a secure area without attendees worrying about their safety. This is common sense. Let’s get it done.”

The newfound clamor to approve a $400 million ballroom on White House grounds to protect Trump and all future Presidents from the heretofore unthinkable threat of a lone nut gunman–sorry, John Hinckley Jr.—includes Rep. Lauren Boebert:

But it’s not just Boebert: after Saturday night’s incident, MAGA influencers coast to coast were on this single message faster than you can say “that seems weird.”

CNN’s Aaron Blake couldn’t help but notice the missed opportunity:

After Charlie Kirk’s assassination last year, the Trump administration immediately set about citing the tragedy to justify a major crackdown of left-leaning groups. (This despite no evidence that such groups played any role.)

After a suspected gunman targeted the White House Correspondents’ Dinner this weekend, President Donald Trump and some of his allies have focused on a much more quotidian political aim.

It’s all about the ballroom…

We certainly don’t want to encourage Trump to turn his focus away from his beloved ballroom toward an authoritarian crackdown on Americans, and either way there’s no reason to assume the administration couldn’t manage both. But it is notable that Trump chose to squander the political capital that for good or ill accompanies these kinds of events by immediately pivoting to one of his most unpopular pet projects, turning what could have been a moment of sympathy into another self-serving gimmick.

This is how Trump’s worst instincts are limited by his own petty distractions.