Lawmakers from both parties are raising concerns about security weaknesses at the Washington Hilton during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, while President Donald Trump and his allies argue the incident underscores the need for a highly secure ballroom at the White House.

Critics focused on what they described as significant gaps in security that allowed individuals staying at the hotel to enter without undergoing weapons screening at the outer perimeter.

Authorities say that vulnerability enabled Cole Tomas Allen to bring a shotgun, a handgun, and multiple knives into the building, where the president, cabinet members, lawmakers, and journalists had gathered for the event.

As in previous years, screening checkpoints were positioned on a floor above the ballroom, rather than at the hotel’s main entry points.

“While the security perimeter outside of the ballroom worked, and the Secret Service and Federal Law Enforcement acted swiftly to secure the ballroom and move the President and high level officials out of harms way, the fact is there [were] numerous glaring security issues,” Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) said on X.

Lawler pointed to the absence of photo identification checks, the lack of a verified attendee list, and the fact that the hotel remained open to the public. He also noted that the only magnetometers were located near the ballroom itself.

“Without getting into details, I will just say, there was not a good handle on how many members of Congress were at the event and where they were in the room,” he added.

“There needs to be a complete and thorough after action as to how the gunman got from his hotel room into a secure area with numerous guns.”

Officials said the suspect, heavily armed, attempted to rush through the magnetometer checkpoint and began firing before being subdued by security personnel.

Authorities maintained that the event was protected by multiple layers of security and said the system functioned as intended, emphasizing that the president was never in danger.

Those same procedures, however, allowed other hotel guests and media members to attend gatherings at the venue without having tickets to the main dinner.

Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) voiced similar concerns.

“No security screening was required to enter an event featuring the President of the United States, the Speaker of the House, Cabinet Secretaries, and Members of Congress?” Torres posted on X.

“This failure of even the most basic security protocols—as inexplicable as it is inexcusable—demands an immediate investigation.”

Investigators also found that the suspect himself had criticized the lack of security in a manifesto recovered after the attack.

“If I was an Iranian agent, instead of an American citizen, I could have brought a damn Ma Deuce [heavy machine gun] in here and no one would have noticed s–t,” the sicko gloated in his manifesto.

“The one thing that I immediately noticed walking into the hotel is the sense of arrogance,” he added.

“I walk in with multiple weapons and not a single person there considers the possibility that I could be a threat.”

Authorities said the suspect opened fire while attempting to push past the checkpoint into the ballroom before being stopped by security forces.

Officials also said Allen had rented a room at the Washington Hilton, which allowed him to move through parts of the hotel freely while senior government officials were present.

Critics highlighted that the hotel remained accessible to other guests even as the president, vice president, cabinet members, and congressional leaders were in attendance.

Investigators confirmed the suspect was able to bring multiple firearms and knives into the building without detection.

Trump and his supporters pointed to those failures as further justification for building a secure ballroom on White House grounds.

“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,” President Trump posted on Truth Social.

“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!”

The White House Correspondents’ Association, which organizes the dinner, hosts the annual event as a fundraiser for scholarships.

Trump, who had not attended the dinner for most of his presidency, participated this year and has suggested future events could be held in a White House ballroom if completed.

Some Democrats also expressed support for that idea.

“We were there front and center. That venue wasn’t built to accommodate an event with the line of succession for the U.S. government,” Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) posted on X.

“After witnessing last night, drop the TDS [Trump Derangement Syndrome] and build the White House ballroom for events exactly like these.”

Supporters aligned with Trump echoed calls to move forward with the project, which he has advocated for since his time in office.

“Tonight is one more reason for the new White House Trump Ballroom…” said Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch.

“We’d better never again hear a peep from anyone complaining about a White House ballroom,” Rep. Randy Fine (R-Fla.) wrote on X.

The proposed project, a 90,000-square-foot ballroom, has faced legal challenges, including objections from the National Trust for Historic Preservation over the approval process.

Last month, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ruled that construction could not proceed without congressional authorization, though an appeals court later allowed work to continue temporarily pending a hearing scheduled for June.

Trump has also indicated that his administration is pursuing additional security enhancements at the site.

The proposed ballroom would be located above the White House’s reinforced bunker, designed to withstand a nuclear attack, which officials say is also being upgraded.

Despite the controversy, Trump praised the response by the Secret Service and law enforcement agencies involved in securing the Washington Hilton.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche also defended the response, emphasizing that the security operation was effective.

“To the contrary, it was a massive security success story,” Blanche insisted on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday. “This suspect barely breached the perimeter.”