Donald Trump to build $200M privately funded White House ballroom by 2029, calling it a historic and long-overdue legacy project. Photo/X.Donald Trump to build $200M privately funded White House ballroom by 2029, calling it a historic and long-overdue legacy project.
The Trump administration will begin construction this September on a new $200 million White House ballroom, entirely funded by private donors, with completion expected before President Donald Trump’s second term ends in early 2029.
“We’ve been planning it for a long time,” Trump said during remarks at the executive mansion. “They’ve wanted a ballroom at the White House for more than 150 years.”
Emphasizing that the project will not rely on public funds, Trump, 79, said, “No government dollars” would be used for what will be the first structural addition to the White House since the Truman Balcony in 1948.
“It’s a private thing. I’ll do it. And we’ll probably have some donors,” he added.
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The 90,000-square-foot addition, formally named the “White House State Ballroom,” will be constructed in the East Wing and accommodate up to 650 guests. According to the president, the ballroom will feature views of the Washington Monument and will be available for state dinners and large-scale events.
“It’ll be beautiful, top of the line,” Trump said. “We’ve retained the best architects and engineers … it pays total respect to the existing building, which I’m the biggest fan of.”
White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles issued a statement describing Trump as “a builder at heart” with “an extraordinary eye for detail.” She affirmed that the Trump administration will work closely with preservation groups to honor the White House’s historical significance while creating “a beautiful ballroom that can be enjoyed by future Administrations and generations of Americans to come.”
Trump explained that the existing East Room, the current largest event space in the White House, has long been inadequate for hosting major international delegations and events.
“You entertain the president of China, the president of any place, and you have big crowds,” Trump said. “They’ve always had to get a tent and … when it rains, it’s a disaster.”
He added that the current setup, which involves guests walking more than 100 yards to a tent out of sight of the press, was “not a pretty sight.”
“People schlepping down to the tent – It’s not a pretty sight,” he quipped.
The ballroom joins a list of personal touches Trump has introduced to the White House during his second term. These include the installation of massive flagpoles on both the north and south lawns, as well as replacing the Rose Garden grass with stone.
“It’ll be a great legacy project,” the president said of the ballroom. “And I think it’ll be special.”
Trump vowed the venue would be completed “quickly and on time.”
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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