Trump ballroom cost soars to $600M with half from taxpayers, Washington Post reports
US President Donald Trump's White House ballroom project will cost $600 million, with over half coming from taxpayers, according to The Washington Post, contradicting Trump's claims of private funding.
The cost of US President Donald Trump's ballroom project at the White House has ballooned to $600 million (€516 million), with more than half of the funding coming from taxpayers, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday. Trump had previously estimated the cost at $400 million (€344 million) and repeatedly insisted that private donors, including himself, would cover the expenses for the new building, a key element of his efforts to leave his mark on the US capital.
The newspaper cited a detailed cost estimate prepared for the Trump administration by Clark Construction, the contractor hired to build the ballroom. The project began last year when Trump, with little warning and without consulting Congress, demolished the entire historic East Wing of the White House.
In late March, Trump told reporters the project would cost up to $400 million, calling it "taxpayer-free." However, a summary prepared for the White House earlier that month already pegged the total cost at $600 million, with only $293 million (€252 million) coming from "private sources," the Post said. When Trump made those remarks in March, the administration had already approved more than a dozen payments of public funds to Clark Construction totaling tens of millions of dollars, according to a log of the contractor's invoices obtained by the newspaper.
When Trump first floated the idea of the ballroom, he said it would cost only $200 million (€172 million). Democratic opponents have pointed to the gilded ballroom and other costly renovation projects as evidence that the billionaire president is out of touch with everyday Americans. Republicans fear that ongoing voter concerns about the cost of living, especially soaring fuel costs due to the Iran war, could spell disaster in the November midterm elections.
"This is a gift to the United States of America," Trump said last month as he toured the construction site with reporters, shouting over the noise of hammers and buzzsaws. "This is all my money and donors' money. This is tax free." In response to the report, the White House issued a statement saying "President Trump and generous American patriots are funding the ballroom to the tune of approximately $400 million." The builder said details of the project are confidential.
Trump insists the White House needs a large ballroom for hosting state dinners and other major events. The project has sparked a legal battle, with a judge ruling in March that work above ground must halt. That ruling was put on hold while an appeals court considers the case. The administration has argued that the need for the ballroom became more urgent after a man with a gun tried to break into a gala press dinner attended by Trump in April.
