This story appeared in The Logoff, a daily newsletter that helps you stay informed about the Trump administration without letting political news take over your life. Subscribe here.
Welcome to The Logoff: You’re paying for Donald Trump’s ballroom. And it’s getting even more expensive.
What’s happening? This is far from the first time The Logoff has written about the ballroom Trump is currently building on the site of the demolished East Wing of the White House — but bear with me.
On Tuesday, the Washington Post reported new details about the structure’s cost and funding, including an estimated price tag of $600 million. Of that, more than half will reportedly be taxpayer dollars — not, as Trump has previously promised, money raised entirely from private donors.
The new price tag is also (another) significant leap in cost. When Trump first announced plans for a ballroom, he said it would cost $200 million — then $300 million, then $400 million. Now, it’s tripled in price.
What’s the context? Trump has already tried once before to get taxpayers to fund the ballroom: In May, proposed text of a Senate immigration funding bill contained $1 billion tucked away for an “East Wing Modernization Project” — the ballroom. That money was later stripped from the bill, however.
Why is the ballroom so expensive? Based on Trump’s remarks, the ballroom’s planned security footprint (and its overall size) has grown substantially over time. It will now, according to Trump, include a “massive” subterranean military complex and a hospital, as well as “the greatest drone empire that you’ve ever seen.”
The Trump White House has leaned on those national security features as a justification for the new construction, including after a shooting at an April press dinner attended by Trump and again this week, after an attack on Trump’s birthday fight night was reportedly stopped by the FBI (how the ballroom could have helped protect the massive outdoor event, exactly, is unclear).
As the Wall Street Journal reported over the weekend, the ballroom is also being built at double time as the administration attempts to “outrun” court rulings that could stop it.
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I appreciated this reminder from my colleague Jonquilyn Hill that writing things by hand is good for our brains and we should take the time to do it more often. (I promised my editor I won’t start filing this newsletter in longhand, though.)
Plus, a World Cup thing: The Scotland fans chartering their own school buses.
Thanks for reading, have a great evening, and we’ll see you back here tomorrow!
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