Featured Image Credit: Andrew Leyden/Getty Images
Topics: Donald Trump, US News, News, World News, Social Media, Twitter, Politics
Madison Burgess
Topics: Donald Trump, US News, News, World News, Social Media, Twitter, Politics
The White House correspondents' dinner shooting has ignited a wild conspiracy theory online.
On Saturday night (25 April), the annual event was thrown into chaos when shots were fired by a gunman armed with 'multiple weapons' who tried to get into the event.
The gunman had run through a checkpoint in the lobby of the Washington Hilton Hotel, armed with a shotgun, a handgun, and multiple knives, police said.
A shotgun was fired at a Secret Service agent before the alleged attacker was tackled to the ground and arrested. Thankfully, he was wearing a bulletproof vest and is expected to make a full recovery.
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Meanwhile, once shots were heard, guests took cover under tables, and the US President, 79, who had previously been the target of an assassination attempt, was swiftly evacuated by Secret Service agents along with other senior members of the administration.
The suspect has since been identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California.
He is understood to have been a guest in the hotel where the event was being held, and faces charges including assaulting an officer with a dangerous weapon, but acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said additional charges will be filed.
Following the dramatic evening, Trump took to Truth Social to break his silence on the attack and explain that incidents like this one are what prompted his plans to build a new White House Ballroom with a military complex underneath it.
The Republican leader wrote: "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.
"This event would never have happened with the Militarily Top Secret Ballroom currently under construction at the White House. It cannot be built fast enough!"
He urged: "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." Speaking of an ongoing lawsuit that's halted construction, he continued: "The ridiculous Ballroom lawsuit, brought by a woman walking her dog, who has absolutely No Standing to bring such a suit, must be dropped, immediately. Nothing should be allowed to interfere with its construction, which is on budget and substantially ahead of schedule!!!"
The attack and Trump's response have prompted a wild conspiracy theory online, with some people bizarrely claiming that the incident was staged to 'get the ballroom built'.
One X user shared a photo of the President and penned: "Don't worry, I staged an assassination to get my ballroom built."
While a second wrote: "Trump skips the WHCD for yrs, finally shows up, something happens elsewhere in the building, and within minutes it’s a full-blown sales pitch for his ballroom. Please. Staged crisis - marketing plan in record time."
A third quipped: "There’s no way they staged this s*** just so he can justify building a ballroom LMFAO."
Meanwhile, a fourth shared screenshots of people's responses, urging the ballroom be built, alongside the caption: "So we are supposed to believe that all of these people were organically compelled to say this like clockwork?"
And others chimed in with: "Did they set this whole thing up to justify the ballroom?" and "So, it was just a staged infomercial to plug his stupid ballroom."
It's important to note that this, of course, is just an internet theory with no proof behind it, but as to be expected, people have well and truly run with it!
Tyla has contacted the White House for comment.