Donald Trump mounted a wild defense of his rapidly expanding White House ballroom on Tuesday, insisting that the hulking new structure was not just a lavish entertaining space but also an effective national security asset.
Speaking to reporters outside the demolished East Wing—now a sprawling construction zone—Trump described the project as “potentially the most beautiful building in all of Washington,” while rattling off a dizzying list of features including “9000 pound concrete,” drone defenses, military-grade shielding, and six subterranean floors.
“It’s a shield that will totally protect what’s downstairs. They have a lot of things going on downstairs, and some of it you see. This goes down six stories,” he said, referencing the massive hole in the ground behind him.
Asked why the ballroom was so important to him, the 79-year-old former real estate mogul replied: “Number one: security; and number two, it’s needed just on a social basis for presidents.
“And again, I’ll be here for a very short period of time,” he added.
“When this opens, I’ll be here for a very short period of time. This is really being built for other presidents; it’s not being built for me. I’m a really good builder. The thing I do best in life is build. I’m a great builder, and I build beautiful product. There will never be anything like this.”
The extended sales pitch came as Trump faces mounting scrutiny over how the project is being financed.
Since it was first flagged last year, the ballroom’s price tag has expanded from $100 million to $400 million. The president originally promised it would be privately funded through wealthy donors and corporate backers, with “not one dime” of taxpayer money.
But Senate Republicans recently proposed a separate $1 billion federal funding package for Secret Service “security adjustments and upgrades” tied to the so-called East Wing Modernization Project—language critics say could effectively shift major project costs onto taxpayers.
That effort hit a roadblock over the weekend when Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough ruled the funding provision could not remain in Republicans’ reconciliation package as drafted, finding the massive construction project violated budget rules.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Trump insisted he and his donors were financing the main ballroom, while the money Republicans were asking for centered on “surrounding areas and maybe enhancing some security aspects of it.”
He also talked up the design, comparing the building to the “beautiful” facade of the U.S. Supreme Court.
Holding an image of the ballroom’s columns, Trump also joked about his weight to reporters.
“You don’t have to look at my waist. You can look at this. You saw enough of my waist along with President Xi’s (during last week’s China summit),” he said.
The ballroom became a lightning rod for controversy after Trump bulldozed the historic East Wing last year to make room for the project, sparking legal challenges and preservation concerns.
Democrats have slammed the project as a “gold-plated vanity build”, while even some Republicans have privately questioned why taxpayers could end up subsidizing a project Trump repeatedly said donors would cover.
But the project is merely one of many that Trump has undertaken as he seeks to reshape Washington in his image.
Since coming to office, the president has also redecorated the Oval Office with gold decor, paved over the Rose Garden at the White House, installed “Presidential Walk of Fame” complete with golden frames and script signage, and repainted the Lincoln reflecting pool in “American flag blue”.
