President Donald Trump defended his White House ballroom project Wednesday a day after Republican lawmakers proposed $1 billion in taxpayer funding for the buildout—despite Trump saying repeatedly it would cost less than half that amount and be funded with private donations.
Construction crews continue to remove the East Wing of the White House and prepare for the new ballroom construction as seen from the newly reopened Washington Monument on November 14, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Andrew Leyden/Getty Images)
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Trump claimed the project “is coming in ahead of schedule, and under budget,” he wrote on Truth Social.
He said the initial estimated cost was $200 million and the “completed project will be something less than” $400 million, accusing the “Fake News” of failing to report the $400 million figure previously.
It’s unclear what Trump is referring to as multiple outlets, including Forbes, have repeatedly reported the $400 million figure.
Trump did not address the funding request from Republican senators on Tuesday seeking $1 billion for White House East Wing security enhancements.
The Trump administration demolished the East Wing to make way for the ballroom, which Trump has said repeatedly would be funded by private donations.
Senate Republicans included the $1 billion request in an immigration and border patrol funding bill as an earmark for security enhancements to the East Wing. Trump has repeatedly claimed the project is necessary, in part, so the government has a secure event space, along with a “massive complex” of secure underground space. After the shooting at the White House Correspondents Association dinner, where a gunman was able to circumvent security at the Washington Hilton and access the event space full of government officials and journalists, conservatives argued it showed the need for the ballroom. The project is among several Trump has proposed to leave his permanent stamp on Washington and the federal government, including proposing a massive arch near Arlington Cemetery, redesigning the Oval Office and Rose Garden, renaming government organizations after himself and including his photo on a new design of the U.S. passport.
A federal appeals court is weighing whether the project can proceed after U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ruled in April that aboveground construction on the ballroom can’t continue without congressional approval. The Trump administration appealed the ruling.
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