You could have predicted that Donald Trump and lackeys like little Lindsey Graham would use the shooting at the White House Correspondents Dinner for political purposes. At Trump’s behest, Graham is now pushing a bill to fund the proposed White House ballroom on national security grounds, noting it would then be unnecessary to hold events like Saturday night’s dinner at a less secure hotel.
There is so much fiction to unpack here. First is the security protection he’s talking about actually is in a bunker at the White House. That can be further hardened or ⁓ other improvements can be made. It works pretty well now, but that has almost nothing to do with the big gaudy ballroom that Trump has proposed, which is really about tribute to his massive ego.
And the idea of holding a lot of events at the White House ballroom, “the coat hanger is convention will be Thursday night in the White House ballroom”, is laughable. Especially egregious is the suggestion to hold the White House correspondence dinner there. First, how would you get 2,600 guests into a ballroom designed to seat 1,000? Don’t tell Trump, he might want to increase the size of this monstrosity.
The White House Correspondents’ Dinner is supposed to be an event honoring the First Amendment. To be held at the White House, no matter who is president, is just stupid, as is Lindsey Graham’s idea to have the ballroom picked up by the taxpayer.
Every attempt on Trump’s life enhances his standing among ‘the faithful’. I wish to hell anahone else who wishes him harm would realize that. We do not need to make any more of a martyr of him, figuratively or otherwise.