President Donald Trump’s ever-expanding White House ballroom project has taken a new turn—and Seth Meyers thinks it has officially spun into stupidity.
The Late Night host seized on Trump’s rambling White House Correspondents’ Dinner remarks Monday night, mocking the president for unveiling yet another rebrand of the planned ballroom, which has ballooned over the past year from a lavish reception hall into a sprawling proposal that now includes a rooftop drone port, underground military facilities, and a reported $400 million price tag.
“Donald Trump doesn’t know anything about healthcare, housing, infrastructure, or foreign policy, but he knows every f-----g detail about this goddamn ballroom,” Meyers said. “Down to what type of glass they’re using and how thick it is. Meanwhile, if you ask him which country we’re currently at war with, he’ll say—”
The show then cut to Trump saying, “The Islamic Republic of Japan…” The studio erupted.
Meyers said Trump appeared incapable of discussing anything else, noting that the president even used the dinner speech to unveil a fresh description of the project.
“In fact, Trump is so ballroom-brained that he once again used the speech to push for the ballroom, which he is now rebranding using a bunch of new words…”
Meyers switched to a clip where Trump told the crowd: “Everyone is now really warming up the new White House military center drone port, highly protected ballroom.”
Meyers was incredulous. “Everyone is warming up the what now? It used to be the beautiful ballroom. Now it’s the military-centered drone port, highly protected ballroom. Why stop there? Why not call it the Mountain Dew Presents the Bank of America Military Center Droneport/Ballroom in UFC Octagon presented by Doritos?”
Trump continued pitching the project anyway, boasting: “It’s gonna be amazing. A phenomenal, one of the biggest drone ports anywhere in the world, right on the roof, right protecting the White House. Not only the ballroom. And what’s underneath, you know, it was supposed to be a top military secret, what’s underneath. Room after room of very complex stuff. It was the military’s dream to have it built.”
The audience, however, barely reacted.
“Oh my God, that room is so quiet,” Meyers said. “I just assumed everyone had left to go take a closer look at the ballroom. You could both hear a pin drop and see people who looked like they just sat on a pin. As a comedian, I can tell you, these are not good faces to see in an audience.”
New polling suggests the project itself isn’t winning over the public either.
A Washington Post/Ipsos survey found 65 percent of Americans view Trump’s White House ballroom, triumphal arch, and Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool renovation negatively, while just 32 percent approve. More than half of respondents said they believe the projects are driven by “a different goal,” with many citing “vanity,” “ego,” or a desire to “leave his mark” on Washington.
