PRIORITIES

Construction on Trump’s Ballroom Continues Amid Government Shutdown

Critics think the multimillion-dollar White House renovation is a little out of touch.

Nothing will stop President Donald Trump’s construction of a lavish new White House ballroom—not even a U.S. government shutdown.

Trump’s multimillion-dollar renovation of a space expected to be larger than the White House itself will continue as planned during the shutdown, officials confirmed to ABC News on Wednesday.

“There will not be a stoppage of ballroom work when the shutdown occurs,” a White House official said.

Trump’s aides say the $200 million dollar project is being privately funded by donors, and is therefore unaffected by the shutdown.

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Yet the swanky addition to the White House is moving forward even as hundreds of thousands of federal workers are either furloughed or forced to work without pay. Economists have warned that a government shutdown could push the economy toward a dreaded state of “stagflation”—a perfect storm of poor growth, high unemployment, and high inflation.

Trump critics were quick to blast the out-of-touch optics on X.

“The White House just announced that the construction of Trump’s $200 million golden ballroom will continue during the government shutdown while American soldiers go without pay,” progressive podcaster Brian Cohen wrote on the platform.

Another reply summed up the sentiments of many X users:

“We have our priorities, don’t we?”

A Trump official told the Daily Beast last week that the administration has so far received almost $200 million in pledges for the ballroom, with the president vowing to cover costs out of pocket if needed.

CBS News reported that companies chipping in include Google, Booz Allen Hamilton, and Palantir.

The latest contributor was Alphabet-owned YouTube, who on Monday forked over some $24 million in cash to settle with Trump over his suspension from the platform after the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol insurrection, according to a court document.

Of that figure, $22 million will go to the nonprofit Trust for the National Mall “to support the construction of the White House State Ballroom.”

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Trump’s ambitious project was announced in July as a 90,000-square-foot “ornately designed and carefully crafted space” with seating for 650 people, Trump has since said he plans to make the ballroom even larger—with capacity for 900 people and spanning about 150,000 square feet.

Renderings of the ballroom show that the Palladian structure will have at least six Corinthian-style columns, large arched windows, ornate chandeliers, and a coffered ceiling.

The White House has said the ballroom would be functional “long before the end of President Trump’s term” in January 2029.

“You see that area, that is going to be the greatest ballroom anywhere in the world. It gives me pleasure to do it for the country. And I’m paying for it,” Trump has told reporters. “For 150 years, they’ve wanted a ballroom, and now they’re going to finally have it. And it’s going to knock your socks off.”

The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.

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Laura EspositoBreaking News Reporter

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