US Justice Dept. calls White House shooting an assassination attempt on Trump

In a motion filed with the US District Court for the District of Columbia, the US Justice Department described the May 23 shooting near the White House as an assassination attempt on President Donald Trump, according to a document submitted to the court’s electronic database.

It described the incident as "the second attempted assassination on the president within a single month." According to authorities, on the evening of May 23, a man armed with a pistol opened fire near the White House. US Secret Service agents returned fire and neutralized him. The man later died in the hospital. A bystander was injured in the shooting. According to media reports, the man, who opened fire approximately 150 meters from the White House, had mental health issues.

The US Justice Department filed a motion in favor of lifting restrictions on the construction of a new banquet hall on the White House grounds. The document signed by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche noted that "a shooter once again sought to murder the president, his family, and his staffs." According to the Justice Department, the incident indicated that the US leader needs a new banquet hall equipped with "state-of-the-art security features to repel all attacks against the president, his family, his staff, and esteemed visitors."

The US Justice Department filed a similar motion in court following the April 25 shooting at the Washington Hilton during the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, which was attended by the entire top leadership of the US administration, including Trump. The shooter was apprehended at the time. He faces charges, in particular, of attempting to assassinate the US president.

Earlier this year, a court ruled that construction of the banquet hall on the White House grounds must partially suspend until Congress grants authorization. This partially granted the demands of a non-governmental cultural heritage preservation foundation, which insisted that the president lacks the authority to decide unilaterally to construct a banquet hall using private investor funds. The US president has expressed disagreement with the ruling. The Washington administration is demanding that these legal proceedings be halted.

Plans to build the banquet hall were officially announced at the end of July 2025. Preparatory work had been underway for several months.