

Pushing past third assassination attempt, Trump forges ahead with his ballroom
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.WASHINGTON—Hours after gunfire erupted outside the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Sen. Kevin Cramer called President Trump to check on him.
But instead of dwelling on the apparent attempt on his life, Trump had something else on his mind: stonework.“We’re fixing some things up at the White House,” Trump told the North Dakota Republican on Sunday, alluding to his many remodeling and building projects. Trump in recent days has overseen the installation of a new black granite walkway outside the West Wing.Few things are more important to Trump than the construction projects that have absorbed much of his time and attention since he took office for a second time, according to advisers.
Almost immediately after Saturday’s shooting, which unsettled much of official Washington, Trump began arguing that his $400 million White House ballroom was more essential than ever.Inside the Oval Office Saturday night, he told aides that it was important to make the case for the ballroom in the aftermath of the shooting, according to people familiar with the matter. Then he walked into the press briefing room and did just that.“It’s actually a larger room and it’s much more secure,” Trump, still wearing a tuxedo, told reporters, arguing that his ballroom would be a safer location for the dinner, which was held in a cavernous room at the Washington Hilton.Trump allies amplified his message across social media in the hours and days after the shooting.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche posted a letter online Sunday demanding a historical preservation group drop its lawsuit seeking to prevent the ballroom’s construction, though the group declined. A federal judge blocked construction of the ballroom in
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