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President Donald Trump gave reporters a close look Tuesday at the construction of a White House ballroom he is building on the site of the former East Wing, arguing that security upgrades and the project’s design are built to protect the capital.
The tour unfolded amid the noise of heavy construction equipment. Trump took reporters to a platform overlooking the worksite as workers in hard hats and fluorescent yellow vests moved around below, with easels set up to display renderings of the planned ballroom building—at least one of which was blown off by the wind, according to the Associated Press report.
Trump told reporters that the planned building would never be replicated, and he highlighted what he said were security features. He described the roof as “dead flat” and said it would be made of “very strong steel,” adding that the structure was “drone-proof” because, as he put it, if “a drone hits it, it bounces off, it won’t have any impact.”
He also said the roof would function as a drone port, which he said was meant to protect Washington. Trump further said the military would “stay on it” to keep watch over the city, and he described the roof’s safety design as having no air conditioning or other rooftop equipment. He said duct work and related equipment would be hidden within the walls of the complex.
Trump said the ballroom’s underground design would make the structures “intertwined,” describing how “everything is intertwined,” and saying that “The roof goes with the ground floor, the ground floor goes with the roof. The roof also goes down into the basement.” He said the complex would include a “shield” for a military hospital, research facilities, offices for the first lady and her staff, and a full-service kitchen, along with a ballroom large enough for 1,000 people.
In explaining how the project would be paid for, Trump said the $400 million ballroom cost would be covered by donors, including himself. He also said it would not use taxpayer funds, telling reporters: “This is not going to be paid for by the taxpayer.” He called the project “a gift to the United States of America,” while the Associated Press noted that polling shows most Americans oppose the plan.
The reporting tied the tour to a congressional impasse over funding for security work. The administration has asked for $1 billion from taxpayers for security additions on the White House campus, and the Senate parliamentarian ruled the proposal could not be included in a bill to fund immigrant enforcement agencies for three years. The Associated Press report also said several Republican lawmakers balked at the price tag in an election year when voters are focused on gasoline, grocery and other costs.
Trump’s expected timeline placed the ballroom’s completion in September 2028, which the report said is less than six months before his term ends. He also declined to directly answer whether he would contribute more of his own money if Congress rejects the administration’s $1 billion funding request.
A White House spokesperson, Davis Ingle, said the tour was not a response to difficulties brewing in Congress. Ingle said Trump was “excited to showcase to the press and American people the amazing gift he is giving to the White House and generations of future presidents to come,” according to the Associated Press account.
The Associated Press also said the ballroom project is being challenged in federal court. It noted that the National Trust for Historic Preservation sued to halt construction until Congress approves plans for the building, and said litigation has been a part of why the ballroom has faced resistance. The report added that Trump also discussed other beautification projects in Washington, including plans involving the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and another nonprofit group that has sued to stop that project.