Trump Administration Targets Kimmel and Ballroom After Failed Assassination Attempt

President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference at the White House on April 25, 2026, in Washington, DC. | Al Drago/Getty Images

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Assassination Attempt at Correspondents’ Dinner

Welcome to The Logoff: Hi, readers. Over the weekend, President Donald Trump was the target of a third high-profile assassination attempt at the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner. He was unharmed, as were the other attendees. One Secret Service agent was shot but not badly injured, thanks to a bulletproof vest.

We’re likely to learn more about the shooter, who was arraigned in DC today, in the coming days.

White House Targets Jimmy Kimmel Over Controversial Joke

The White House is now focusing on two priorities following the shooting: Jimmy Kimmel and Trump’s ballroom.

Kimmel made a joke earlier in the week describing First Lady Melania Trump as having “a glow like an expectant widow.” On Monday, both Trumps called for Kimmel to lose his job over the joke, which Melania described as “hateful and violent.”

This is not the first time the Trump administration has targeted Kimmel. Last year, Kimmel was briefly off the air after Trump’s Federal Communications Commission chair threatened his employer, ABC; his reinstatement was a setback for the administration.

There is no evidence connecting Kimmel’s joke to Saturday night’s attack, but the administration appears determined to pursue this again.

Ballroom Construction Faces Legal Hurdles

The proposed ballroom—a massive entertaining space for which the East Wing was demolished—does not yet exist. However, Trump is eager to complete it before the end of his term. Currently, the White House is legally barred from proceeding with above-ground construction on the building.

Following the attack, the administration is now framing the ballroom as a national security necessity. On Sunday, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stated that the lawsuit against the administration was “delaying the construction of a secure facility for the President to do his job.”

Note: The Correspondents’ Dinner is not a government event and would not be hosted at the White House even if the ballroom were completed.

Big Picture: Political Opportunism After Near-Tragedy

Faced with a narrowly avoided potential tragedy, the Trump administration is prioritizing petty political moves—including targeting opponents and pushing through controversial projects.

And with that, it’s time to log off…

A Lighthearted Distraction: Meet Chonkers the Sea Lion

I learned a new and delightful word from a Wall Street Journal story: thigmotactic, which the Journal’s Robert McMillan reports is “a scientific term for very social creatures who like to cuddle.”

The creatures in question are sea lions, and specifically, a stellar Steller sea lion named “Chonkers,” who has made himself at home at San Francisco’s Pier 39. You can read all about him here with a gift link.

As always, thanks for reading, have a great evening, and we’ll see you back here tomorrow!