Trump defends $200M privately funded White House ballroom with historic examples

President Donald Trump’s privately funded $200 million White House ballroom is the latest “bold, necessary addition” to the executive residence, officials said, describing the East Wing construction as a continuation of presidential upgrades dating back more than a century.

Photos of the East Wing façade being demolished went viral Monday, prompting criticism online and a swift rebuttal from the White House, which wrote that “unhinged leftists and their Fake News allies are clutching their pearls over President Donald J. Trump’s visionary addition of a grand, privately funded ballroom … a bold, necessary addition that echoes the storied history of improvements and additions from commanders-in-chief to keep the executive residence a beacon of American excellence.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt echoed the president’s message Tuesday on “Jesse Watters Primetime,” saying, “I believe there’s a lot of fake outrage right now.

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“Nearly every single president who’s lived in this beautiful White House behind me has made modernizations and renovations of their own,” Leavitt added. “In fact, presidents for decades — in modern times — have joked about how they wished they had a larger event space here at the White House, something that could hold hundreds more people than the current East Room and State Dining Room. 

“President Obama even complained that, during his tenure, he had to hold a state dinner on the South Lawn and rent a very expensive tent.”

In an article shared Tuesday, the administration listed more than a dozen examples of leaders “renovating, expanding and modernizing” the property to “meet the needs of the present day,” from Theodore Roosevelt’s West Wing in 1902 to Barack Obama’s Kitchen Garden in 2009.

Trump first confirmed the ballroom project Monday on Truth Social, writing, “I am pleased to announce that ground has been broken … to build the new, big, beautiful White House Ballroom. Completely separate from the White House itself, the East Wing is being fully modernized … and will be more beautiful than ever when it is complete!”

“For more than 150 years, every President has dreamt about having a Ballroom … I am honored to be the first President to finally get this much-needed project underway — with zero cost to the American Taxpayer!” he continued, crediting “many generous Patriots, Great American Companies, and yours truly” for funding the build. “This Ballroom will be happily used for Generations to come!”

The White House’s Rapid Response 47 account also shared a detailed thread on X Tuesday showing how past presidents “have been renovating, expanding, and modernizing the White House to meet the needs of the current day.”

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Trump elaborated Tuesday, calling the federal government “this big for nothing.” 

“We’re building a world-class ballroom,” he said. “You probably hear the beautiful sound of construction to the back here. That’s music to my ears. People don’t like it. I love it. When I hear that sound, it reminds me of money. In this case, a lack of money, because I’m paying for it.”

Trump also noted that the East Room, currently the largest indoor event space, is little more than “a cocktail area” that holds about 88 people.

During a Diwali event at the White House Tuesday night, Trump again referenced the project and his decision not to accept a salary, quipping that “they probably owe me a lot of money” for everything he’s put into the building.

“If I get money from our country, I’ll do something nice with it. Like give it to charity or give it to the White House,” he said. “We restore the White House, and we’re doing a great job. The ballroom is under construction. They’ve been trying to get it for 150 years.”

The ballroom project is the latest in Trump’s improvements to the property, which include an overhaul of the Rose Garden and the Palm Room.

The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner contributed to this report.