Trump defends $200M privately funded White House ballroom with historic examples
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President Donald Trump’s $200 million privately financed White House Ballroom is the latest “bold and necessary addition” to the executive residence, officials said, describing the construction of the East Wing as a continuation of presidential improvements dating back more than a century.
Photos of the demolition of the East Wing facade went viral Monday, sparking online criticism and a swift rebuttal from the White House, which wrote that “unhinged leftists and their fake news allies are clinging to President Donald J. Trump’s visionary addition of a privately financed grand ballroom…a bold and necessary addition that echoes the rich history of improvements and additions by commanders in chief to make the Executive Residence a beacon of America. excellence.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt echoed the president’s message Tuesday on “Jesse Watters Primetime,” saying, “I think there’s a lot of false outrage right now.”
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“Almost every president who has lived in this beautiful White House behind me has done their own modernizations and renovations,” Leavitt added. “In fact, for decades – in modern times – presidents have joked that they wish they had a larger event space here at the White House, something that could accommodate hundreds more people than the current East Room and State Dining Room.
“President Obama even complained that while in office he had to host a state dinner on the South Lawn and rent a very expensive tent.”
Work continues Tuesday on the demolition of part of the East Wing of the White House before the construction of a new ballroom. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
In a post shared Tuesday, the administration listed more than a dozen examples of leaders “renovating, expanding and modernizing” property to “meet today’s needs,” from Theodore Roosevelt’s West Wing in 1902 to Barack Obama’s vegetable garden in 2009.
Trump first confirmed the ballroom project Monday on Truth Social, writing: “I am pleased to announce that work has begun… to build the new, large, beautiful White House Ballroom. Completely separate from the White House itself, the East Wing is being completely modernized… and will be more beautiful than ever when it is completed!”
“For over 150 years, every president has dreamed of having a ballroom…I am honored to be the first president to finally launch this much-needed project – at no cost to the American taxpayer!” he continued, crediting “many generous Patriots, great American businesses and yours” with financing the construction. “This ballroom will be happily used for generations to come!”
The White House’s Rapid Response 47 account also shared a detailed thread on Tuesday X showing how past presidents “renovated, expanded and modernized the White House to meet today’s needs.”
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This photo provided by the United States Library of Congress shows a crowd outside the White House on the wedding day of Jessie Woodrow Wilson, daughter of President Wilson, who married Francis Bowes Sayre in a ceremony at the White House in Washington on November 25, 1913. (United States Library of Congress via AP)
Trump clarified Tuesday, calling the federal government “so big for nothing.”
“We are building a world-class ballroom,” he said. “You probably hear the beautiful construction noise out back here. It’s music to my ears. People don’t like it. I love it. When I hear that noise, it reminds me of money. In this case, a lack of money, because I’m paying for it.”
Trump also noted that the East Room, currently the largest indoor event space, is little more than a “cocktail space” that can accommodate about 88 people.
At a Diwali event at the White House on Tuesday evening, Trump again referenced the project and his decision not to accept a salary, joking that “they probably owe me a lot of money” for everything he has invested in the building.
President Donald Trump speaks Tuesday during a luncheon with Republican senators in the White House Rose Garden. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
“If I get money from our country, I’ll do something good with it. Like give it to charity or give it to the White House,” he said. “We’re restoring the White House and we’re doing a great job. The ballroom is under construction. They’ve been trying to get it for 150 years.”
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The ballroom project is the latest in Trump’s improvements to the property, which include an overhaul of the Rose Garden and Palm Room.
The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Greg Wehner of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
