Trump Bawls for his Ballroom

The fixation on a ballroom over a breach is not just tone-deaf—it’s evidence of a governing culture hollowed out by loyalty tests and detached from its most basic responsibilities.

The annual White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, on April 25, 2026, at the Washington Hilton in Washington, DC, was interrupted when shots were fired near the main security screening area on the floor ABOVE the dining room, where Donald Trump, along with his wife and several senior members of his administration were dining. The suspected shooter, Cole Tomas Allen, a Californian, who was armed with several weapons, was apprehended by security officials near the screening area outside the ballroom, and except for a Secret Service agent who was shot, but only bruised because he was wearing an armored vest, there were no injuries. The president and other officials were safely evacuated.

This was Trump’s first appearance at the event as president, and the third ‘assassination’ attempt. In recent years, there has also been an increase in politically motivated violence in the United States, including the assassination of Minnesota House of Representatives Democratic member Melissa Hortman and her husband on June 14, 2005, and the fatal shooting of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, of Turning Point USA in September 2025. One might think, therefore, that the reactions to this event would focus on the rise in violence, even if it was politically slanted. You would be mostly wrong.

The post-incident rhetoric, from Trump, his administration, and other Trump enablers has gone down a path that leaves any rational person wondering if we’ve all been transported to some alternate reality. In a video on nu-Twitter (now known as X), Trump is quoted as saying, “I think the NFL should sign him up. He was fast.” In that same post, Trump verbally attacks the interviewer for mentioning that the alleged shooter’s manifesto called him a pedophile, rapist, and traitor. Given Trump’s past performances, this is actually not all that surprising.

But, just when you think it’s about as surreal as it can get, he ups the ante. His focus, and that of his administration turned in a direction that no one could have expected: his white elephant of a ball room project. On April 26, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, posted on social media, “It’s time to build the ballroom.” That was followed immediately by Montana Republican representative Tim Sheehy tweeting that he would “introduce and see unanimous consent for legislation providing express approval for construction of a Presidential ballroom.” Then, Trump himself joined the fray, pushing hard for his ‘large, safe, and secure Ballroom…ON THE GROUNDS OF THE WHITE HOUSE.’

At this point, you’re probably scratching your head, and asking, how does what happens at an event not sponsored by the White House, or a government agency, for that matter, which the president has never attended before (as president) relate to a facility built on White House grounds? Is this suggesting that the president will only attend events in his own facility, or is it suggesting that the White House facility might be available for non-government entities to rent? What does the president mean when he says, “This event would never have happened with the Militarily Top Secret Ballroom currently under construction at the White House.” Why has there been no discussion in MAGA world about how easy the alleged gunman smuggled weapons into a major DC hotel, during a period when it was hosting an event attended by so many potential assassination targets?

Is this more evidence of the rot that is eating away at the core of our democracy under this administration, or an indication of the serious deterioration of our president’s mental faculties? Or, even worse, are we seeing evidence of both?

I’m no psychiatrist, so I am in no position to give an authoritative assessment of Trump’s mental state, but as an observant layman, I’ve often felt that, as my grandmother used to say, “his bag’s missing a few marbles.” As regards moral erosion, the way Trump-supporting GOP legislators have rallied behind his call for moving on the ballroom project, even going so far as to suggest it be government funded (let’s not forget that Trump has sworn that this $400 million white elephant will be funded by private donations, itself a questionable situation) such decay would certainly seem to be the driver behind this campaign.

There is very little that we as individual citizens can do about our president’s mental decline. Of the two conditions, moral decay of government institutions is the most dangerous.

As we saw in the first Trump administration, cabinet officials, including the vice president, who honored their oath to support and defend the Constitution acted as guardrails against some of the more outlandish aims of an erratic president. Trump learned the lesson, though, and the current administration is staffed with people who put personal loyalty above all, and actions have been taken to sideline or eliminate any career government employees who refuse to ‘bend the knee.” Worse, the GOP-controlled Congress is either in sync with or so afraid of Trump and his MAGA mob, it no longer functions as an independent branch of government.

As a consequence, the only things that We the People can do, regardless of political party, is to participate in the midterms to hire a new crop of legislators who will put the welfare of their constituents and loyalty to the Constitution above fear or ideological loyalty. A lot of damage has already been done, and the ship of state has numerous leaks, but a Congress dedicated to performing its constitutionally-mandated duties can halt, or at least slow, the dry rot that’s eating away at our democratic institutions before they collapse, and begin the process of ‘building back better.’

No matter what party you belong to, you should make an effort to cast your vote. Select candidates who put the United States, its Constitution, and its People first. In the runup to the midterm elections and the next general election in 2028, make your voice heard, through letters to your local editors, op-eds, and correspondence to your members of Congress, letting them know that you wish to live in the democracy that our Founding Fathers envisioned, not a kakistocracy presided over by people whose only loyalty is to themselves.

Charles A. Ray served 20 years in the U.S. Army, including two tours in Vietnam. He retired as a senior US diplomat, serving 30 years in the U.S. Foreign Service, with assignments as ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia and the Republic of Zimbabwe, and was the first American consul general in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. He also served in senior positions with the Department of Defense and is a member of The Steady State.

Founded in 2016, The Steady State is a nonprofit 501(c)(4) organization of more than 390 former senior national security professionals. Our membership includes former officials from the CIA, FBI, Department of State, Department of Defense, and Department of Homeland Security. Drawing on deep expertise across national security disciplines, including intelligence, diplomacy, military affairs, and law, we advocate for constitutional democracy, the rule of law, and the preservation of America’s national security institutions.