Obama Condemns shooting at White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Trump calls for secure ballroom speedy completion

International, Politics

INTERNATIONAL (NPA) — Former U.S. President Barack Obama has condemned the shooting incident that occurred during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday night, where President Donald Trump and senior government officials were present.

Obama noted that while the motives behind the attack remain unclear, it is vital to reject violence in democratic spaces. He praised the U.S. Secret Service for its swift response, which prevented what could have been a mass shooting.

“It’s also a sobering reminder of the courage and sacrifice that U.S. Secret Service Agents show every day. I’m grateful to them – and thankful that the agent who was shot is going to be okay,” Obama said.

President Trump, in a statement, also addressed the incident, stressing that it underscored the need for a secure ballroom within the White House grounds. He said the ongoing construction of a “Militarily Top Secret Ballroom” would have prevented the shooting, as it is designed with the highest-level security features.

“It cannot be built fast enough! While beautiful, it has every highest-level security feature there is… inside the gates of the most secure building in the World, The White House,” Trump stated.

Trump criticized what he described as a “ridiculous Ballroom lawsuit” filed by a woman with no standing, arguing that nothing should be allowed to interfere with the project, which he said is on budget and ahead of schedule.