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President Donald Trump hosted a dinner for nearly 130 deep-pocketed donors and prominent business leaders who helped fund the planned renovation of the White House ballroom. The project, estimated to cost upwards of $200 million, is the most considerable renovation that Trump is undertaking during his second term.
Trump, who has envisioned the ballroom for years, said the White House needed it to host state dinners and foreign dignitaries. The president also claimed that Americans have long wanted it and are now going to get it.
Construction on the 90,000-square-foot ballroom, with a capacity of approximately 650, began last month. All four sides of the proposed ballroom will be made of bulletproof glass, with everything from the window shape to its color and molding matching the White House.
Trump called the attendees legends, saying they were all his very good and generous friends who helped build a “magnificent White House ballroom.” The guests included representatives from Microsoft, Palantir Technologies, Lockheed Martin, Apple, Meta Platforms, Amazon, and Alphabet’s Google. Wealthy families and individuals, such as the Winklevoss brothers, the Adelson family, oil billionaire Harold Hamm, and Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman, were also in attendance.
Trump says there is nothing like the White House
The president said there is nothing like the White House to him, calling it just a special place that he and other Americans have to take care of. He also claimed that, as president, he has no zoning requirements and can do whatever he wants with the project’s construction. However, the project still needs approvals from the Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission, but White House staff secretary Will Scharf claimed it is unnecessary.
Trump opened the East Room’s curtains at one point to show where the ballroom construction is ongoing. He said the White House needed a real estate person like him to accomplish what seemed impossible for almost two centuries. White House officials have stated that the ballroom’s costs will be entirely covered by donations, rather than taxpayer money.
“The White House for 150 years-plus, they wanted to have a ballroom, and it never happened because they didn’t have a real estate person.”
–Donald Trump, President of the U.S.
The ballroom construction is just one of the many projects the president has undertaken at the White House. He has redecorated the Oval Office and has paved over the Rose Garden grass.
Trump unveils plans for a giant Triumphal arch
The president used the dinner to showcase his latest vanity project, a giant triumphal arch featuring Lady Liberty, which he hopes to build after the ballroom is completed. He held up multiple miniature models for his guests to inspect, explaining that the national monument would be well-suited for the traffic circle at the end of the Arlington Memorial Bridge, which connects the Lincoln Memorial to Arlington National Cemetery.
Trump wants the arch modeled after the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France, to welcome people crossing the Memorial Bridge into the capital from Arlington National Cemetery. He posted illustrations of the plan designed by Harrison Design architect Nicolas Charbonneau on Truth Social. Charbonneau also posted a watercolor rendering of the project on social media with the caption, “America needs a triumphal arch!”
The president announced that the triumphal arch will be ready by next year to commemorate the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence. He added that his administration did not want to dwarf anything, disclosing that leftover funds from the ballroom may be used for the arch, which he says will be beautiful.
Trump has also mentioned other changes intended for the White House, such as updating the bathroom in the Lincoln Bedroom and renovating the Palm Room, which connects the White House to the Rose Garden. Axios revealed that the president has ordered dioramas and models for other projects he is considering and has directed the placement and design of marble-tiled floors in the White House.
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