WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump on Sunday used a shooting at a gala he attended in Washington to push his plans to construct a huge ballroom next to the White House that has faced legal challenges.

Shots were fired Saturday evening as Secret Service agents subdued the gunman who tried to storm the White House Correspondents Dinner, attended by Trump, top government officials and hundreds of journalists.

The annual event — a private, not government, function — was at the Washington Hilton, a few blocks north of the White House, where it has been held for decades.

“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 wrote on his Truth Social platform.

The $400-million ballroom has become a passion project for Trump during his second term and he has addressed it often in public appearances, press conferences and meetings.

In his Sunday post, Trump lauded the security features of the proposed ballroom, which has faced widespread public criticism for its outsized scale and the lack of consultation.

“This event would never have happened with the Militarily Top Secret Ballroom currently under construction at the White House,” Trump wrote. “It cannot be built fast enough! While beautiful, it has every highest level security feature there is.”

Trump also mentioned the ballroom during a hastily called press conference Saturday evening after the shooting, and many of his political and online allies voiced support for its construction.

The future of the project, which has already seen the historic East Wing of the White House abruptly torn down, is being fought over in the courts.

The street outside the Washington Hilton was also the site of the 1981 assassination attempt on former president Ronald Reagan.