{"id":613,"date":"2026-05-20T05:04:49","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T05:04:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jacksonvillemovingnews.com\/?p=613"},"modified":"2026-05-20T05:04:49","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T05:04:49","slug":"trump-shows-ballroom-worksite-as-lawmakers-balk-at-1b-for-white-house-security","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jacksonvillemovingnews.com\/?p=613","title":{"rendered":"Trump shows ballroom worksite as lawmakers balk at $1B for White House security"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Shouting over the banging and clanging sounds from heavy construction equipment, President Donald Trump on Tuesday gave a group of reporters a closer look at the construction for the White House ballroom he’s building on the site of the former East Wing to mount a defense for the project that has hit a speed bump in Congress.<\/p>\n

Read more Trump notches more GOP primary wins, but big midterm questions remain<\/a><\/p>\n

The administration has asked for $1 billion from taxpayers for security additions on the White House campus, including for the ballroom. But the Senate parliamentarian ruled the proposal could not be included in a bill to fund immigrant enforcement agencies for three years, and several Republican lawmakers have balked at the price tag in an election year where voters are grappling with gasoline, grocery and other prices spurred to new heights by the Iran war and the disruption in oil supplies. <\/p>\n

So Trump, ever the pitchman, surprised White House reporters by bringing them to a platform overlooking the construction site on a hot and breezy morning as workers in hard hats and fluorescent yellow vests milled about below. <\/p>\n

Easels were set up to display renderings of the ballroom building and at least one of them blew off in the wind. \u201cGive that to me, I’ll hold it,\u201d Trump told an assistant. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere will never be another building like this built, that I can tell you,\u201d Trump told reporters.<\/p>\n

He highlighted the security aspects of the building, notably its \u201cdead flat\u201d roof made of \u201cvery strong steel” and said it is \u201cdrone-proof\u201d because “if a drone hits it, it bounces off, it won\u2019t have any impact \u2014 but it\u2019s also meant as a drone port, so it protects all of Washington, the roof of the building.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said the military will \u201cstay on it” to keep watch over the city.<\/p>\n

There’s no air conditioning or other equipment on the roof for safety reasons, Trump said, explaining that all duct work and equipment like it was hidden within the walls of the complex, which will serve as a \u201cshield\u201d for a military hospital, research facilities, offices for the first lady and her staff, and a full-service kitchen \u2014 in addition to a ballroom big enough for 1,000 people. <\/p>\n

He said the ballroom building goes down six stories underground and is really \u201ccomplex\u201d because \u201ceverything is intertwined.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe roof goes with the ground floor, the ground floor goes with the roof. The roof also goes down into the basement,” the president said. \u201cThis is one well-knit building. One thing doesn’t work without the other.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump says the ballroom is a \u2018gift\u2019 to the country<\/h2>\n

He repeated that the $400 million ballroom cost will be covered by donors, including him, and that the work is being done \u201cin strict coordination\u201d with the military and U.S. Secret Service. <\/p>\n

Read more The Trump Administration<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not going to be paid for by the taxpayer,\u201d Trump said. \u201cThis is a gift to the United States of America.\u201d<\/p>\n

But it’s somewhat of an unwanted present as polling shows most Americans oppose the ballroom, which is embroiled in litigation in federal court. A Washington Post\/ABC News\/Ipsos poll conducted in April found that a majority, 56%, of U.S. adults oppose Trump\u2019s decision to tear down the East Wing to make way for the ballroom, while only 28% are in support.<\/p>\n

The National Trust for Historic Preservation sued to halt construction until Congress approves plans for the building.<\/p>\n

Trump insisted he will have \u201cvery little\u201d time to use the ballroom. He recently announced that it will be ready in September 2028, less than six months before his term ends.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is really for other presidents,” he said. <\/p>\n

Trump sidestepped a question about whether he’ll kick in any more of his own money if Congress rejects the $1 billion funding request.<\/p>\n

White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said Trump’s tour was not in response to the difficulties brewing in Congress. \u201cPresident Trump is the most transparent president of all time and was excited to showcase to the press and American people the amazing gift he is giving to the White House and generations of future presidents to come,” Ingle said. <\/p>\n

Trump also touched on some of the other beautification projects he’s undertaking across the city, such as restarting dormant park fountains. He claimed to be spending much less to clean up the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool than did his immediate predecessors \u2014 both Democrats.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’m doing a job on the Reflecting Lake for a fraction of what they paid,\u201d Trump said. He’s having the surface coated in a shade of blue and wants to reopen it by July 4. A separate nonprofit group, The Cultural Landscape Foundation, has sued to halt this project. <\/p>\n

Read more Senate advances bill aimed at ending Iran war as Cassidy, after primary loss, flips to support it<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The administration has asked for $1 billion from taxpayers for security additions on the White House campus, including for the ballroom.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":612,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[113],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-613","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-white-house"],"yoast_head":"\nTrump shows ballroom worksite as lawmakers balk at $1B for White House security - Jacksonville Moving News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/jacksonvillemovingnews.com\/?p=613\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Trump shows ballroom worksite as lawmakers balk at $1B for White House security - 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