Trump claims shooting would ‘never have happened’ if White House had a ballroom

Donald Trump has sparked reaction with his comments

The President was rushed off stage at the White House Correspondents' Dinner held at the Washington Hilton Hotel as gunshots were fired.

However, the president took to TruthSocial to claim the incident would "never have happened" if a "large, safe and secure ballroom" had been built on the grounds of the White House.

"It cannot be built fast enough!" he added.

"While beautiful, it has every highest level security feature there is, plus there are no rooms sitting on top for unsecured people to pour in, and it is inside the gates of the most secure building in the world, the White House."

Just earlier this month, a US judge halted the construction of the ballroom's ground portion of the project.

Additionally, the President is facing a lawsuit brought in December by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which is trying to put a halt to the plans for the East Wing ballroom.

In the lawsuit, the preservation group argued that the White House acted unlawfully by beginning construction without submitting plans to the National Capital Planning Commission, failing to conduct an environmental assessment, and not seeking authorisation from Congress.

The White House’s East Wing, built in 1902, was demolished in October to clear space for a multi-million-dollar ballroom.

Since then, the plans have grown significantly, expanding from an initial 500-person capacity to a venue designed to accommodate up to 1,350 guests.

The White House has communicated that the project was expected to cost $400m and was being funded entirely by private donors.

The suspect of the shooting has since been identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California.

The 31-year-old is understood to have been a guest in the hotel and was said to have been carrying a shotgun and a handgun.

He now faces charges, including assaulting an officer with a dangerous weapon, but acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said additional charges will be filed.