A zoomed-out view of the White House has revealed the true scale of construction underway as President Donald Trump undertakes multiple projects for his MAGA makeover.
A picture captured by Getty Images photographer Kevin Dietsch on Tuesday shows the multiple renovations and construction efforts simultaneously underway at the White House, from the UFC Octagon being built on the South Lawn to Trump’s $400 million ballroom being constructed on the site of the demolished East Wing. The image has raised eyebrows online.
Starting with the newest and only temporary addition to the White House, construction began over the weekend for a mixed martial arts arena in preparation for the UFC Freedom 250 event on Trump’s 80th birthday, June 14.
Cranes have invaded the South Lawn as a towering lights setup is being built for the upcoming cage match. The president has hyped it to be “the biggest event we’ve ever had at the White House.”
The MMA fight night will be a precursor to a number of additional MAGA-fied celebrations in honor of the United States’ 250th anniversary, including Trump’s bizarre Hunger Games-inspired Patriot Games.
Meanwhile, Trump’s vanity ballroom project continues work on the remnants of the White House’s East Wing, as loads of construction equipment can be seen strewn about.
The near-octogenarian has adamantly advocated for the construction of the $400 million ballroom, which he touts as “a gift to the United States of America.”
Last week, the president said that the ballroom was actually more of a shield for a six-story underground bunker complex being quietly built beneath it, which will contain a military hospital, meeting rooms, and top-secret research facilities.
Trump boasted that the ballroom will feature a hardened roof made of “impenetrable steel” and will have enough space to accommodate a fleet of drones. “The entire roof is built for military,” he said.
“They have a massive drone capacity. Not only is it drone-proof, if a drone hits it, it bounces off, it won’t have any impact,” he added. “But it’s also meant as a drone port that would protect all of Washington.”
Finally, on the north portico, the National Park Service has sectioned off parts of Lafayette Park and the White House Sidewalk for a turf renovation project ahead of America’s semiquincentennial. NPS says the project will be complete on Sunday, May 31.
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
Comedian George Wallace highlighted the absurdity of Trump’s slew of White House alterations in a post that made the rounds on social media Wednesday afternoon.
“In the end we were just his latest casino and whatnot,” Wallace, 73, wrote in a post on X, including a before-and-after picture of the White House before and after Trump 2.0.
