White House Ballroom - Trump Statements
During the first term of President Barack Obama, at least as early as 2010, then-private citizen Donald Trump contacted senior adviser David Axelrod about constructing a ballroom at the White House. According to Axelrod's later recollection, Trump's call came during the Deepwater Horizon oil rig crisis, when Trump initially offered to help with that situation. Once that crisis was resolved, Trump called again with a different proposal. Trump told Axelrod that the White House held state dinners in little tents, and that he built ballrooms and could build the greatest ballrooms. Trump suggested Axelrod could come down to Florida to see his ballrooms. Trump offered to build a modular ballroom that could be assembled and taken apart. Axelrod handed the pitch to a colleague, who did not follow up. At that time, Trump reportedly priced the project at one hundred million dollars.
In 2016, during a campaign event in Ohio, Trump revisited the subject of his earlier proposal. He stated that he had offered to build a ballroom at the White House and that they turned it down. Trump said he was going to put up one hundred million dollars to build a ballroom at the White House because having a tent was not that good.
Speaking in February 2025, after his inauguration for a second term, Trump stated that he had contacted the Biden administration offering to construct a new ballroom for the White House but never heard back.
Earlier in 2025, speaking to a group of female athletes in the East Room, Trump bemoaned the lack of a larger space. He stated that this was going to be the reception room and that he was going to build a beautiful ballroom like he had at Mar-a-Lago. Trump said it was going to cost about one hundred million dollars, that he offered to do it, and that he never heard back.
In May 2025, appearing on NBC's Meet the Press, Trump stated that they were going to make and build a ballroom which they had wanted for probably one hundred years at the White House. Trump added that they had three or four different concepts and were working with great architects.
On June 18, 2025, at a ceremony for the installation of new flagpoles on the North and South Lawns of the White House in Washington, Trump watched as the massive flags were raised. Trump personally dictated the poles' galvanized steel, tapered design and interior ropes. As he watched the new flagpoles going up in June, Trump told reporters that he loved construction and knew it better than anybody.
In late June 2025, Trump stated in an interview that they had outgrown the tent stuff. He added with a laugh that they would see if Trump would approve it.
On July 28, 2025, at his Turnberry golf course on Scotland's western coast, Trump met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. As Trump was preparing to hash out the final details of a trade deal, he took a detour to boast about the cavernous ballroom where they were sitting. Trump stated that they just built this ballroom and were building a great ballroom at the White House. Trump told von der Leyen that no president knew how to build a ballroom and that he could take this one, drop it right down there, and it would be beautiful.
On July 31, 2025, the White House officially announced the ballroom project in Washington. The statement released that day declared that for one hundred fifty years, Presidents, Administrations, and White House Staff had longed for a large event space on the White House complex that could hold substantially more guests than currently allowed. The statement noted that President Donald Trump had expressed his commitment to solving this problem on behalf of future Administrations and the American people. The statement described the White House State Ballroom as a much-needed and exquisite addition of approximately ninety thousand total square feet of ornately designed and carefully crafted space, with a seated capacity of six hundred fifty people, representing a significant increase from the two hundred person seated capacity in the East Room of the White House. The project was to begin in September 2025 and be completed long before the end of President Trump's term. President Trump and other patriot donors had generously committed to donating the funds necessary to build the approximately two hundred million dollar structure.
Also on July 31, 2025, speaking to reporters at the White House in Washington, Trump stated that the ballroom would not interfere with the current building. He said it would be near it but not touching it and would pay total respect to the existing building, which he was the biggest fan of. That afternoon, Trump called the ballroom project a great legacy project and said he thought it would be special.
On August 2, 2025, Trump told reporters at the White House in Washington that no president knew how to build a ballroom. Trump's impulse to make improvements was animated by a builder's instinct cultivated over decades in real estate and never extinguished when he entered politics. Trump said he loved construction and knew it better than anybody. He expressed genuine belief that aspects of the White House could be improved, even as he voiced reverence for the building itself.
On August 5, 2025, Trump walked onto the roof of the West Wing of the White House in Washington to get a different view of the site of the proposed ballroom. Trump was accompanied by architect Jim McCrery, who had been commissioned to add the ballroom to the White House. The two men appeared engaged in intense conversation as they surveyed the grounds with animated pointing. When reporters spotted Trump and shouted questions, Trump responded that he was taking a walk and looking for just another way to spend his money for the country.
On September 13, 2025, in a telephone interview with NBC News, Trump stated that they were making the ballroom a little bigger. He said it would be top of the line, as good as it could get anywhere in the world. Trump told NBC News that the new ballroom would have a capacity of nine hundred people, which represented nearly a forty percent increase from the six hundred fifty people capacity initially announced.
On October 20, 2025, demolition of the White House East Wing began in Washington. Trump posted on social media that he was pleased to announce that ground had been broken on the White House grounds to build the new, big, beautiful White House Ballroom. Trump stated that completely separate from the White House itself, the East Wing was being fully modernized as part of this process and would be more beautiful than ever when it was complete. Earlier that same day, Trump commented on the construction during an event celebrating Louisiana State University baseball teams in the White House's East Room. Trump stated that they were building right behind them, that they were building a ballroom, and that they had wanted a ballroom for one hundred fifty years. Trump said he was giving that honor to this wonderful place. He acknowledged that he did not know he would be standing there right then because on the other side there was a lot of construction going on which attendees might hear periodically. Trump added that the construction had just started that day.
On October 15, 2025, at the White House in Washington, Trump hosted a Legacy Dinner for nearly one hundred thirty deep-pocketed donors, allies, and representatives of major companies who had pledged contributions to the ballroom project, including Microsoft, Meta, Google, Amazon, Lockheed Martin, T-Mobile, Tether and Palantir. Trump thanked attendees for their contributions, stating they had been very generous and had provided very substantial money, and that the project was fully financed and fully taken care of. Trump often used a proverbial they to describe those he said wanted this new ballroom. Trump stated that for all those years, they wanted it, and now they were going to get it, and because of the donors, they were going to get it, adding that he was included too and that they were all in this together. Trump said the ballroom would have space for up to nine hundred ninety-nine guests and that all four sides would be made of bulletproof glass. He stated the ballroom would be large and grand enough to hold even a presidential inauguration. Trump told attendees that there were zero zoning conditions set for the project. He recalled asking how long it would take him, and being told that he could start that night and had no approvals needed. Trump said he responded that they had to be kidding. They told him that it was the White House, he was the president of the United States, and he could do anything he wanted.
"We started with a much smaller building and then I realized, I mean we have the land, let's do it right, and so we built a larger building that can really hold just about any function that we want. ... real estate is relaxing. For a lot of people, real estate is a very trying business. I've always liked it. I've always done well with it. I love building things. And this way I can build some beautiful things. And this, again, has never been built. And we're going to start that pretty soon. It's going to be great. And then the ballroom for the White House is the thing that you people have really, really been very generous with. And we're going to build a room that's going to be able to hold literally the inauguration, if we want."
"... it's amazing when you have too many people, you can fit them in. You can always fit a few more people in and pardon the fact that you're a little tight at your table. That's okay. That's better than lots of room for everybody, because nobody shows up. But you've been so generous in your contributions, very substantial money, fully financed. It's fully taken care of now. And in fact, we'll have money left over and we'll use that for something. "
"... we did something that was really appropriate to The White House. We didn't want to dwarf anything. We didn't want to make it so that it's inappropriate. And I was watching them very carefully and that's what we did. And so, we're going to have a phenomenal ballroom, it's going to be one of the best anywhere in the world. There won't be anything like it, actually. And it's four sides of glass, beautiful glass, but totally appropriate in color and in window shape and everything else with The White House moldings. So it's going to be very much in keeping with The White House....
" We really need it. The United States is the greatest and most powerful nation on earth, and American presidents need to be able to host events at The White House that reflect the demands of the time and that can carry out the prestige of what we're all doing.... It's the most powerful nation on earth now. You see that. You see the weapons, we have the greatest weapons, the greatest manufacturer of weapons. Some of you are in that world and some of you, yeah, the greatest in the world. We have the greatest in the world....
"It'll be done with really exquisite taste, the finest designers, and I consider myself an important designer, because they come in with things that, they may be good designers, but boy, the things they can recommend are horrible. And we wanted classic, the utmost respect for the historic beauty and grandeur of one of the most iconic buildings anywhere in the world. I mean, you go to the White House and you see that picture, when you ride up in the drive like tonight, probably some of you realize, you drive up that drive and you're looking at that building all lit up and gorgeous and perfect. And we take good care of it too. It wasn't taking good care of. The Oval Office is now at a level that it's never seen before. We take really great care of it. They weren't taking good care of it for four years, I'll tell you that....
"This addition will be completed in the classical style that complements everything else around it, including the Treasury Department, which is right next to it. We have been working very closely with the incredible people of the National Park Service, they really are, they love this place, they're very proud of it, the architects, historians and everyone else and many others to ensure that the project will be beloved and loved for years to come, for such years to come. It's going to be up for a long time, I hope."
Donald Trump held a Bilateral Meeting With Mark Rutte of NATO - October 22, 2025: "it's really an honor to add that great ballroom to the structures in Washington. It's going to be one of the great ballrooms of the world. And I think it's going to be something you're all going to be very proud of." Trump on 22 October 2025 defended the planned demolition of the White House's East Wing. Trump was responding to questions about his controversial plan to demolish the East Wing to build a new ballroom. He downplayed the historical significance of the East Wing, arguing that it had already been significantly altered over the years.
Trump held a rendering of the planned White House ballroom and displayed a scale model of the White House grounds with the ballroom prominently jutting out from the East Colonnade. Trump explained that in order to do it properly, they had to take down the existing structure. He said that after a tremendous amount of study with some of the best architects in the world, the determination was made that the East Wing really needed to be knocked down. Trump stated that the East Wing was never thought of as being much and was a very small building. Trump said the ballroom was expected to cost a projected three hundred million dollars, representing an increase from the previously announced two hundred million dollars.
"You know, the East Wing was not much, it was not much left from the original. It was, over the course of 100 years, it was changed, the columns were removed, and it was a much different building. Then a story was added on in 1948, 1949, there was a story added on which was not particularly nice. And the building was very, very much changed from what it was originally.... So, over the years, many presidents have made changes. This obviously would be the biggest change, but this was something they've wanted for at least 150 years."
Also on October 22, 2025, during a Diwali celebration event in the Oval Office, Trump was asked by reporters to confirm reports that he was demanding the Justice Department compensate him for federal investigations he faced during Joe Biden's presidency. Trump replied that they probably owed him a lot of money, but if he got money from the country, he would probably do something nice with it, like give it to charity or give it to the White House while they restored the White House.
At a recent dinner with high-dollar ballroom donors at the White House in Washington, Trump said the new space would be in keeping with the White House architecture. He said it would be appropriate in color and in window shape. Trump stated there would not be anything like it actually, noting that a new thing was to build a super modern building next to an old-fashioned building, and while he thought that was good, he did not have the courage to do that with the White House.
On October 24, 2025, when asked by ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Mary Bruce whether he had a name for his ballroom yet, Trump smiled and said he would not get into that now. However, on a list of donors provided to ABC News by the White House, the ballroom was referred to as the President Donald J. Trump Ballroom. Trump told reporters he had no plans to name the White House ballroom after himself. When asked by ABC News White House Correspondent Karen Travers how much of his own money he was planning to donate to the ballroom, Trump replied that it would be millions of dollars. Asked what he planned to do with extra donations beyond the construction cost, Trump told reporters it could possibly be used to help build a large triumphal arch modeled on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris that Trump had proposed constructing just outside Washington.
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