Trump's latest project is a multimillion-dollar White House ballroom
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
A projection of the new White House ballroom that is to be constructed by McCrery Architects starting September in a photo shared by the White House on July 31. Photo: the White House
President Trump is building a ballroom at the White House, with a projected $200 million price tag, press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced Thursday.
The big picture: The real estate developer-turned-president is checking off a decade-old passion project from his to-do list, after completing other personal goals like hosting the country's largest military parade in decades and securing a $400 million jet.
The latest: "We've been planning it a long time," Trump told reporters, per a White House pool report. "But there's never been a president who was good at ballrooms," he added.
- "They've always wanted to have it. In the first term, I said if I get another shot at this, I'm going to do a ballroom."
- Trump told NBC News he has some of the world's "finest architects" working on the project, which is expected to be completed before the end of his term. "I'm doing a lot of improvements," Trump said.
Driving the news: Construction of the ballroom will begin in September and is projected to be completed "long before" Trump's term ends, according to the White House.
- "President Trump and other donors have generously committed to donating the funds necessary to build this approximately $200 million structure," Leavitt said.
- The new ballroom will be constructed where the East Wing is currently located. Asked if the wing will be torn down, Leavitt said, it's "going to be modernized" and "the necessary construction will take place."
- The structure will be approximately 90,000 total square feet with a seated capacity of 650 people — a significant increase from the 200-person seated capacity in the East Room of the White House, per Leavitt.
What they're saying: "The White House is currently unable to host major functions honoring world leaders and other countries, without having to install a large and unsightly tent approximately 100 yards away from the main buildings's entrance," Leavitt said during a press briefing.
- "For 150 years presidents, administrations and White House staff have longed for a large event space on the White House complex that can hold substantially more guests than currently allowed," she said, adding that Trump is committed on "solving this problem on behalf of future administrations and the American people."
- White House chief of staff Susie Wiles said Trump is "a builder at heart."
Flashback: Trump said on NBC News' "Meet the Press" in May, "We are going to make and build a ballroom, which they've wanted for probably 100 years at the White House."
- He said at the time, "We have three or four different concepts and we're working with great architects."
- During his recent Scotland trip, Trump told European Council President Ursula von der Leyen, "no president knew how to build a ballroom."
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional remarks from Trump.
