Topline
Ground has been broken for the construction of the $200 million White House State Ballroom, President Donald Trump said Monday, with photos of the project showing the demolition of the facade of the East Wing.
Key Facts
Trump in a Truth Social post announced the start of the ballroom’s construction, nearly three months after he first revealed plans to build it with funding from himself and “other patriot donors.”
The East Wing’s facade could be seen being demolished Monday, with Trump stating the building, which has been home to the Office of the First Lady, the White House visitor’s entrance and more, “is being fully modernized as part of this process.”
The ballroom will be approximately 90,000 square feet, far larger than the 12,000-square-foot East Wing and the 55,000-square-foot White House.
The White House has said the ballroom will be used to accommodate larger parties and state visits, noting a seated capacity of 650 people, which is more than triple the capacity of the White House’s East Room.
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Who Is Funding The Ballroom?
Trump, who hosted a dinner for the ballroom’s donors last week, will help fund the construction of the ballroom, using at least $22 million in settlement money gained from his recent censorship lawsuit against YouTube. Donors at the dinner included billionaires like Gemini founders Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss and oil executive Harold G. Hamm, according to The New York Times, which cited a guest list provided by a White House official that also included large companies like Amazon, Apple, Coinbase, Comcast, Google, HP, Meta, Microsoft, Palantir and T-Mobile.
Key Background
Renderings of the ballroom were released in July and showed coffered ceilings, chandeliers and floor-to-ceiling arched windows within the large structure. The building will be separate from the White House but its “theme and architectural heritage will be almost identical,” the White House has said. It is not clear when construction will be completed on the ballroom, as the White House has only noted it will be constructed “long before the end of President Trump’s term.” The White House has traditionally hosted larger events on the South Lawn, which would at times be outfitted with tents that featured flooring and lighting. Several state dinners hosted during the Obama and Biden administrations were held in tents, something Trump has taken issue with during both of his terms.
Tangent
Trump last week announced his administration plans to build an apparently massive triumphal arch in Arlington, Virginia, similar in style to Paris’ Arc de Triomphe. Details of the project, including the cost and a construction timeline, have not been released, but a rendering of the arch shared by the president suggests it will be taller than the Lincoln Memorial.
Further Reading
YouTube Settles Trump Lawsuit—With $22 Million Going Toward White House Ballroom (Forbes)