President Trump strongly defended the $300 million ballroom at the White House on Saturday, asserting that it is “bigger and more beautiful” than originally planned. This came in response to a question from CNN’s Caitlan Collins.
Trump criticized Collins, whom he referred to as an “ever-stupid and mean-spirited Fake News CNN reporter,” for questioning the rising costs of the ballroom. He explained that the price had increased because the new space would be twice the size and feature top-notch finishes and interiors.
“The span of the columns has also been significantly expanded for ornamental purposes,” he noted, referencing the design plans for a 90,000-square-foot structure that will be built on the site of the demolished East Tower.
Despite some critics voicing concerns about the banquet hall’s size potentially surpassing that of the White House itself, Trump insisted, “As always with my work, we’re actually on budget and ahead of schedule. It’s just much bigger and more beautiful than originally planned.”
The timing of Collins’ question remains unclear, though she brought it up during Friday night’s episode of “The Source with Caitlin Collins.” She mentioned the large crane at the White House construction site, indicating that the ballroom will eventually be located there.
Trump’s remarks followed the withdrawal of architect James McCreary II from the project. McCreary oversaw the design as a small business owner but stepped back when costs escalated to $300 million.
After a report by the Washington Post, the White House confirmed that a new architect, Shalom Baranes, has taken over the project.
Trump assured that “no taxpayer funds were involved,” mentioning that the donor list from the White House, released in October, includes companies like Amazon, Meta, and Apple, which do government business.
