Donald Trump would be the solely one who’s ever stood earlier than a crowd and boasted, “I’m excellent at constructing ballrooms.” Whereas Trump is thought for making self-aggrandizing claims with no foundation in actuality, he’s truly attempting to show this one is true with a high-stakes addition to the White Home.
In June 2025, Trump introduced on Fact Social that the White Home would quickly have a brand new ballroom, “compliments of a person referred to as Donald J. Trump.” A month later, the White Home introduced imprecise plans to construct a 90,000-square-foot state ballroom off the East Wing. That’s almost double the dimensions of the residence, making this the largest White Home renovation in a long time. Whereas Trump has all the time mentioned he would pay for the ballroom himself, it’s unclear how a lot he’s contributed to the mission. And whereas the mission has not been accredited by the federal company that oversees main renovations to authorities buildings, the East Wing has been completely demolished to make method for the ballroom.
Right here’s a information, which we’ll hold up to date, to every little thing we all know in regards to the new White Home ballroom, together with artist renderings, value estimates, and the development timeline.
When did Trump announce his ballroom plan?
Trump began speaking about constructing a White Home ballroom earlier than he even entered politics. It grew to become clear that this was extra than simply bizarre Trumpian musing in June 2025, when he revealed on Fact Social that he’d chosen a web site for the mission:
On July 31, 2025, White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt introduced that building of a 90,000-square-foot ballroom would start quickly, with McCrery Architects as lead architect:
On August 5, 2025, Trump took a “little stroll” on the White Home roof with architect Jim McCrery to get a chook’s-eye view of the place the constructing will go:
don't bounce, sir! pic.twitter.com/LngB2CSeno
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 5, 2025
When did demolition begin?
Work started on the mission started in mid-September with some tree elimination. Trump identified the work vehicles to reporters on Thursday, September 11, noting, “They’ve simply began building of the brand new ballroom.”
When requested in regards to the scope of the landscaping mission, the White Home gave the Publish the runaround:
On Thursday, a White Home official mentioned crews are within the “preservation stage,” by which they transfer timber, shrubs and different foliage to an off-site nursery for safekeeping. The official mentioned these efforts may final a number of weeks. The official referred questions on landscaping particulars to the Nationwide Park Service, which manages the White Home grounds.
A spokeswoman for the Park Service mentioned she couldn’t give the variety of White Home timber affected by the mission or the standing of people who had already been trimmed or felled.
On October 20, demolition crews started tearing down a part of the White Home. Images confirmed a backhoe ripping by the façade of the East Wing.
The Treasury Division informed workers, whose places of work are subsequent to the East Wing, to not share photographs of the mission.
“As building proceeds on the White Home grounds, workers ought to chorus from taking and sharing pictures of the grounds, to incorporate the East Wing, with out prior approval from the Workplace of Public Affairs,” a Treasury official wrote in an electronic mail, in response to The Wall Road Journal.
Was your entire East Wing torn down?
Sure, although White Home officers didn’t initially make that clear.
The primary White Home press launch on the ballroom mentioned it might be situated “the place the small, closely modified, and reconstructed East Wing presently sits”:
The White Home Ballroom will probably be considerably separated from the principle constructing of the White Home, however on the similar time, it’s theme and architectural heritage will probably be virtually an identical. The positioning of the brand new ballroom will probably be the place the small, closely modified, and reconstructed East Wing presently sits. The East Wing was constructed in 1902 and has been renovated and altered many instances, with a second story added in 1942.
However later in July, Trump mentioned his ballroom mission “gained’t intrude with the present constructing … It’ll be close to it however not touching it — and pays whole respect to the prevailing constructing, which I’m the largest fan of.”
Don't fear "it gained't intrude with the present constructing".
One other Trump LIE! pic.twitter.com/XmiLhC679o
— Ken S 🇨🇦 (@kstaubin) October 22, 2025
After photographs of the destruction of the East Wing’s façade went viral in mid-October, an nameless White Home official confirmed the entire constructing was coming down, telling ABC Information that the “entirety of the East Wing will probably be modernized.”
As of Thursday, October 23 the East Wing was only a pile of rubble:
In an interview with Fox Information’s Laura Ingraham on November 10, Trump acknowledged that he didn’t actually must tear down your entire East Wing.
“I may’ve constructed the ballroom round it, however it might not have been — we’re constructing one of many best ballrooms on this planet,” Trump mentioned.
Have the architectural plans been launched?
No. Presumably they exist, however they haven’t been made public. The ballroom mission has not been submitted to the Nationwide Capital Planning Fee, the federal government physique that approves plans to alter authorities buildings within the Washington, D.C., space.
So is the ballroom mission unlawful?
Perhaps! Federal preservation regulation says the Nationwide Capital Planning Fee should vet even comparatively minor building and renovation tasks on the White Home, because the Washington Publish reported in August:
Three former planning fee members informed The Washington Publish {that a} assessment of any exterior building mission on the White Home is required by federal regulation.
“If we had jurisdictional assessment over a fence, we might logically have jurisdiction over a complete wing being added to the White Home,” mentioned L. Preston Bryant Jr., who chaired the fee for almost a decade earlier than stepping down in 2019.
This course of usually takes years. So why was the East Wing façade torn down simply months after Trump introduced the ballroom mission? Effectively, conveniently for Trump, fee chair Will Scharf — considered one of his prime aides, whom he appointed to steer the fee in July — doesn’t assume a assessment is important at this level.
On the Nationwide Capital Planning Fee’s September assembly, Scharf claimed approval is simply required within the building part, and expressed his pleasure in regards to the ballroom. Per the AP:
Will Scharf, who can also be the White Home workers secretary, mentioned throughout a public assembly of the Nationwide Capital Planning Fee that the board doesn’t have jurisdiction over demolition or web site preparation work for buildings on federal property.
“What we cope with is actually building, vertical construct,” Scharf mentioned. He known as Trump’s promised ballroom “some of the thrilling building tasks within the trendy historical past of” Washington.
Authorized consultants informed the Milwaukee Impartial that demolishing a part of the White Home is certainly unlawful, notably throughout a authorities shutdown:
Authorized consultants mentioned the demolition violates federal preservation regulation as a result of no company approval or finances authorization exists to change the White Home throughout a authorities shutdown.
The Nationwide Park Service, which manages the property, and the Nationwide Capital Planning Fee, which opinions building on federal grounds, are each shuttered and can’t subject permits or oversight.
With out these clearances, they mentioned, the work proceeds with out lawful authority — making the demolition itself unlawful underneath federal statute.
Who owns the White Home?
We do. The White Home and the encircling grounds formally grew to become a nationwide park in 1961. “The White Home is owned by the American individuals and stewarded by the Nationwide Park Service,” in response to NPS.gov.
How huge will the ballroom be?
The White Home initially mentioned it is going to seat 650 individuals, however in a September 13 interview with NBC Information, Trump mentioned the capability will truly be 900 individuals. (The East Room, presently the most important room within the White Home, can solely seat 200.)
“We’re making it a bit of greater. Will probably be prime of the road, pretty much as good as it will probably get anyplace on this planet,” he mentioned.
Are there renderings of the brand new ballroom?
Sure; shortly after Leavitt’s announcement, the White Home launched ten artist renderings of what the brand new occasion area will seem like from varied angles.
What is going to occur to the places of work within the East Wing?
They have been briefly relocated, and Leavitt mentioned, “The East Wing will probably be modernized and renovated.”
It’s unclear what this implies for the individuals who presently work there, together with the First Woman’s workers. Anita McBride, former chief of workers to First Woman Laura Bush, raised issues about how the ballroom will impression the every day functioning of the White Home.
“Betty Ford all the time known as the East Wing the ‘coronary heart’ of the White Home,” McBride informed the Hill. “All of the enterprise and coverage will get performed within the West Wing, that’s critically essential. However the coronary heart of the White Home is the East Wing. And so what, what would be the new East Wing?”
What about public White Home excursions?
They have been suspended indefinitely in late August. The Washington Publish reported:
The administration canceled excursions scheduled for September and isn’t accepting tour requests past that, in response to a number of congressional places of work and an electronic mail despatched by the White Home to congressional places of work. On their web sites, members of Congress gave varied causes for the moratorium: “scheduled building,” “in depth renovations” and “building of President Trump’s new ballroom.”
It’s uncommon for the White Home to cancel all public excursions for months and even years. The administration has not responded to journalists questions in regards to the excursions.
Will the federal government shutdown delay ballroom building?
Nope! Simply earlier than the shutdown went into impact a White Home official informed ABC Information, “There won’t be a stoppage of ballroom work when the shutdown happens,” including, “Work will proceed to be carried out because the funds presently supporting usually are not tied to a FY26-enacted appropriation.”
An administration official later informed Snopes, “Ballroom building is constant as it’s financed by personal donations, not the federal appropriations that Democrats are holding as much as push free well being take care of unlawful immigrants,” referring to the GOP’s false declare about Democrats’ shutdown calls for.
How a lot will the ballroom value?
Initially the White Home mentioned it might value roughly $200 million. However Trump retains throwing out increased figures. In mid-October, he informed reporters he’d raised “greater than $350 million” for the mission.
Is Trump paying for the White Home ballroom?
Whereas ranting a couple of White Home ballroom through the years, Trump all the time made it sound like he’d pay for it on his personal. However Leavitt mentioned, “President Trump and different patriot donors have generously dedicated to donating the funds essential to construct this roughly $200 million construction.”
The White Home initially declined to present particulars on how a lot Trump will truly pay and who precisely these “different patriot donors” is perhaps. When requested on August 1 if he’d block international donations, Trump mentioned he hadn’t considered that: “I’m not in search of that. You may have very sturdy restrictions. And we go by the restrictions.”
Amid the furor over the leveling of the East Wing in late October, the White Home launched a record of 37 companies and people which have donated to the mission. Nevertheless, it doesn’t say how a lot every donor contributed.
To this point the one Trump contribution we all know of is the $24.5 million YouTube paid to settle a lawsuit he introduced after the location suspended his account following the Capitol riot. Court docket paperwork mentioned the cash would go to the Belief for the Nationwide Mall and the ballroom mission.
Who’s donated up to now?
On September 19, 2025, CBS Information reported that a number of corporations have already pledged to donate $5 million or extra to the mission:
Google, R.J. Reynolds, Booz Allen Hamilton, Lockheed Martin, Palantir and NextEra Vitality have donated, and so have companies within the tech, manufacturing, banking and well being industries, sources informed CBS Information.
Lockheed Martin is among the many corporations which have pledged greater than $10 million, in response to one of many sources. Firm officers declined to verify the quantity, however Jalen Drummond, vp of company affairs at Lockheed Martin mentioned in an announcement: “Lockheed Martin is grateful for the chance to assist convey the President’s imaginative and prescient to actuality and make this addition to the Individuals’s Home, a robust image of the American beliefs we work to defend day by day.”
Trump hosted a dinner for ballroom donors on the White Home on October 22. The Wall Road Journal reported that the visitor record included greater than three dozen organizations and people, a few of whom have enterprise with the federal authorities:
Firms that despatched representatives to the East Room occasion included Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, Meta Platforms, Alphabet’s Google, Amazon.com and Palantir Applied sciences, in response to the White Home. The visitor record additionally featured rich people and households, corresponding to oil billionaire Harold Hamm, Blackstone Chief Govt Steve Schwarzman and Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss.
What do donors obtain?
They might get their title displayed on the constructing, however that hasn’t been determined but. CBS Information reported:
The pledge type, which was reviewed by CBS Information, provides donors the choice to pay in a lump sum or unfold their contribution over three installments to be accomplished by 2027.
In return, donors are eligible for “recognition related to the White Home Ballroom.” What type that recognition takes remains to be being mentioned, however a number of sources mentioned the expectation is that names will probably be etched within the ballroom’s brick or stone.
They’ll additionally get an enormous tax write-off:
Meredith O’Rourke, a prime political fundraiser for Mr. Trump, is main the trouble, paired with the Belief for the Nationwide Mall, a corporation that helps the Nationwide Park Service. The belief’s nonprofit standing means donations include a federal tax write-off.
Doesn’t this increase main moral points?
Completely. Noah Bookbinder, the president of Residents for Accountability and Ethics in Washington, or CREW, informed the New York Occasions that the donor-funding plan is “extremely uncommon.”
“There may be actually a threat that donors to this mission, which Donald Trump has made clear is essential to him, may see it as a solution to curry favor with the administration,” he mentioned.
Ethics watchdogs additionally famous after Trump hosted donors on the White Home that such efforts put stress on different corporations to contribute.
“Each firm that’s invited to that dinner that both doesn’t present or doesn’t give is aware of now they are going to be out of favor with the Trump administration,” mentioned Claire Finkelstein, a College of Pennsylvania regulation professor and college director of the Middle for Ethics and the Rule of Legislation, informed the Journal.
When will the ballroom be completed?
The press launch says it’s “anticipated to be accomplished lengthy earlier than the top of President Trump’s time period” in January 2029.
Will the ballroom be named after Trump?
That appears possible, although Leavitt didn’t spotlight this within the preliminary announcement and Trump denied it whereas talking with reporters on October 24.
“I don’t have any plan to name it after myself,” Trump mentioned. “That was pretend information. Most likely going to name it the ‘presidential ballroom’ or one thing like that. We haven’t actually considered a reputation but.”
Nevertheless, potential donors obtained a pledge settlement that refers to “The Donald J. Trump Ballroom on the White Home,” in response to CBS Information. Senior administration officers informed ABC Information that title is prone to stick.
How lengthy has Trump been planning this ballroom?
For a few years, Trump has publicly claimed that he supplied to construct a collapsible $100 million White Home ballroom and the Obama administration didn’t take him up on it:
Trump says he supplied to construct a ballroom in The White Home for 100 million however by no means heard again from The Biden Administration. He then says he’ll attempt to make the provide to himself that he suggests he’ll pay for: We’ll see if Trump will approve it pic.twitter.com/EUazuRDm6Y
— Acyn (@Acyn) February 5, 2025
Surprisingly, that is at the least partially true. In his e book Believer: My Forty Years in Politics, David Axelrod confirmed that whereas he was working within the Obama White Home in 2010, Trump known as to pitch him on a ballroom. (Trump claims he supplied to pay for it himself, however Axelrod didn’t handle that element.)
“‘I construct ballrooms. Stunning ballrooms,’” Trump mentioned, in response to Axelrod. “Not being a lot of a dancer, I didn’t know the place he was headed. ‘I see you’ve these state dinners on the garden there in these shitty little tents. Let me construct you a ballroom you possibly can assemble and take aside. Belief me. It’ll look nice.’”
Axelrod mentioned he handed the pitch off to another person, they usually didn’t comply with up.
Is that this mission actually essential?
President Trump and White Home officers have repeatedly described the ballroom as a “much-needed” addition to the White Home.
Because the East Room, the most important room in White Home, can solely seat 200 individuals, state dinners normally happen in a tent on the garden.
Again in 2011, Trump lamented that the White Home is utilizing “an outdated, rotten tent that frankly they in all probability rented, pay a man tens of millions of {dollars} for it regardless that it’s value about $2?” However as Eater famous, it’s truly a reasonably swanky tent:
The tent for the 2009 India dinner, which Self-importance Truthful described as “an enormous pavilion, full with an orchestra platform, theatrical lighting, knowledgeable sound system, full heating, satellite tv for pc kitchens, and a dozen chandeliers bedecked with sustainably harvested magnolia branches and ivy,” took six days to assemble and value a reported $85,000.
And the symbolism of this new mission is “monstrous,” as New York’s Chris Bonanos identified: “That Trump will construct a ballroom — essentially the most on-the-nose embodiment of let-them-eat-cake Versailles extravagance — simply as he throws outdated individuals off Medicare and youngsters off meals stamps is as huge a trolling as has ever been trolled.”
So why is Trump actually constructing this ballroom?
Is Trump doing this as a result of he’s a magnanimous builder who desires to share his reward with the American individuals? Or is he only a narcissist trying to depart his mark on the White Home by reworking it into Mar-a-Lago North? That’s a matter of interpretation. However it’s fairly clear that he actually, actually hates partying in a tent.
This publish has been up to date all through.
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