{"text":[[{"start":8.3,"text":"US President Donald Trump said the Saturday night shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner highlights why he needs to demolish the White House’s East Wing and replace it with a huge ballroom. "}],[{"start":20.1,"text":"“What happened last night is exactly the reason that our great Military, Secret Service, Law Enforcement and, for different reasons, every President for the last 150 years, have been DEMANDING that a large, safe, and secure Ballroom be built ON THE GROUNDS OF THE WHITE HOUSE,” Trump said on Truth Social on Sunday. "}],[{"start":40.8,"text":"Trump’s ballroom project, unveiled last year, has been mired in controversy. "}],[{"start":46.4,"text":"In late March, a US federal judge ordered the president to halt above-ground construction on the $400mn project, which includes an underground bunker, until Congress approves its completion. A federal appeals court in mid-April said above-ground work could continue until June. "}],[{"start":63.3,"text":"On Sunday, Trump called for the legal action by the National Trust for Historic Preservation to be dropped “immediately”. "}],[{"start":70.89999999999999,"text":"“Nothing should be allowed to interfere with its construction, which is on budget and substantially ahead of schedule!!!” "}],[{"start":77.69999999999999,"text":"Acting attorney-general Todd Blanche later posted a letter on X addressed to the plaintiff’s lawyers that claimed the lawsuit “puts the lives of the President, his family and his staff at grave risk”. "}],[{"start":90.6,"text":"A spokesperson for the National Trust for Historic Preservation declined to comment on the litigation, in light of the violent incident on Saturday evening. “The only thing worth thinking about now is the safety of the president and everyone who was in attendance at the dinner last night,” the spokesperson told the FT. "}],[{"start":108.5,"text":"The 90,000 sq ft ballroom project was announced in July 2025 at a cost of $200mn with 650 seats, but has since been upgraded to a capacity of around 1,000. "}],[{"start":121.2,"text":"It is funded through donations from companies including Google, Meta and Alphabet, tobacco firms Reynolds American and Altria, defence company Lockheed Martin, and crypto industry firms Tether, Coinbase, Ripple and Gemini."}],[{"start":135.35,"text":"In the aftermath of the incident on Saturday night, many were critical of what they saw as lax security that allegedly allowed an armed gunman to approach a room where senior government members were present. "}],[{"start":146.6,"text":"The White House Correspondents’ Dinner took place at the Washington Hilton, where thousands of cabinet members, senior lawmakers, journalists and influential figures in politics, business and entertainment were attending the annual media event. It was the first time Trump had attended the event, which honours free speech, as president. "}],[{"start":166.5,"text":"The sprawling hotel complex in the north-west of the US capital was the scene of an assassination attempt on former US president Ronald Reagan in 1981. "}],[{"start":176.5,"text":"The suspect in Saturday’s incident, identified by US media as Cole Tomas Allen, a 31-year-old from Torrance, California, was a guest in the hotel. "}],[{"start":185.2,"text":"“This event would never have happened with the Militarily Top Secret Ballroom currently under construction at the White House,” Trump posted on Sunday. "}],[{"start":193.2,"text":"“It cannot be built fast enough! 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 is inside the gates of the most secure building in the World, The White House.”"}],[{"start":210.1,"text":"Trump told Fox News that the security features included “massive bulletproof glass that is almost four inches thick” and was also “drone proof”. "}],[{"start":219.2,"text":"Trump’s call to complete the project was quickly amplified on social media over the weekend by prominent conservative influencers."}],[{"start":226.7,"text":"An account called Libs of TikTok declared “BUILD THE BALLROOM”, while Jack Posobiec posted “Thank God President Trump is building a ballroom at the White House.” End Wokeness, Meghan McCain and Mike Cernovich all posted similar statements."}],[{"start":241.6,"text":"Republican lawmakers were also quick to back the president and call on Congress to pass legislation to approve and fund the ballroom."}],[{"start":249.2,"text":"“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,” said Republican senator Tim Sheehy of Montana."}],[{"start":271.4,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1777249125_4050.mp3"}