President Donald Trump stressed the need for a high-security White House ballroom following Saturday night’s shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in D.C., warning to Fox News that the incident indicates the hotel setting is difficult to secure.
“It’s got every single bell and whistle you can possibly have for security and safety… It’s really what you need…” Trump said on Fox News’ “The Sunday Briefing.”
“You can’t have a thousand rooms [above] or whatever. It is a very big hotel on top of the ballroom and people come down in the elevator, and they’re right next to the ballroom… nobody’s blaming them. They’re good people… I’ve been in that room many times, but it’s had difficulty in the past and the new one [at the White House] is set not to have that kind of thing.”
Trump touted security features anticipated for the White House space, including four-inch-thick bulletproof glass. He reiterated that the isolated space would be more secure by design compared to the present hotel location where the suspected gunman had been staying as a guest.
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“It’s pretty tough [to secure],” he said of the hotel.
“We’re building a big, beautiful, very, very secure ballroom in every way with massive bulletproof glass that’s almost four inches thick… and all of the elements that you need, like, drone-proofing.”
Trump continued, “We also need a [better] location and the location is on the White House grounds, which is the most secure ground probably in the world, including the fencing, including everything else. The president doesn’t have to leave the premises.“
He added that the project was designed with input from the military and Secret Service and is “ahead of schedule,” slated to be
Trump and other administration officials were rushed out of the Washington Hilton hotel’s ballroom after the security event rattled the crowd on Saturday night, bringing the dinner to an abrupt halt.
Trump was eager to see the event go on after the suspect was apprehended, but ultimately abided by law enforcement guidance and refrained.
“We can’t let these criminals, and really bad people, change the course of our country,” Trump added on Sunday, explaining his desire to return.
Trump also offered praise for Secret Service and law enforcement agents who handled the incident, telling Fox News’ Jacqui Heinrich that the group did an “outstanding” job.
The suspected gunman, identified as 31-year-old Cole Thomas Allen of Torrance, California, is currently in custody and is slated to be arraigned on Monday.
Senior federal law enforcement sources with knowledge of the investigation told Fox News that Allen told law enforcement after his arrest that he was targeting Trump administration officials.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche did not specify which officials were Allen’s intended targets during a Sunday NBC News appearance, but did not rule out that the president may have been a focus.
Allen’s manifesto also entered the spotlight on Sunday, with reports swirling that he held anti-Trump and anti-Christian beliefs.
