MAGA speaker and evangelical author Eric Metaxas made the claim that President Donald Trump’s $400 million White House ballroom project was part of a divine plan and historic mission involving the president that stretches back to America’s founding.

Speaking at the “Rededicate 250” prayer event on the National Mall on Sunday, tied to celebrations for America’s upcoming 250th anniversary, Metaxas took attendees on a journey through U.S. history, making the case that “God’s hand” on the nation was clear “every time” the country “was saved” from threats designed to destroy it.

“It was 30 years after we won our independence, the British challenged us in the War of 1812, burning parts of that city named after George Washington,” he began. “ You may be familiar with that city.”

“They burned part of the city, including the White House, which at the time, if you can believe it, did not yet have a ballroom,” he followed.

The audience laughed as Metaxas continued: “It’s hard to believe that it would take two centuries for the Lord to raise up a great man to bring that ballroom finally to stand where it needs to stand.”

“It’s extraordinary,” he added. “We only had to wait 200 years.”

The ballroom project, meanwhile, remains mired in legal and political controversy. Senate Republicans failed to secure taxpayer-backed security funding for the overhaul on Saturday after the Senate parliamentarian ruled the provision violated budget rules, handing Democrats a victory in their campaign against the project.

Trump has insisted the estimated $400 million ballroom itself would be privately funded, though congressional Republicans had sought to tap part of a broader $1 billion security package following a shooting at the White House Correspondents Dinner in April.

The project also continues to face legal scrutiny from preservation groups challenging the demolition of the White House East Wing, even as an appeals court allowed construction work to proceed last month.

Watch above via CSPAN.

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